WALES

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of his Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of his Department's Ministers.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office occupies two buildings, one in London and the other in Cardiff. The space occupied by Wales Office Ministers is 68.23 sqm, 31.13 sqm and 31.92 sqm in London and 31.82 sqm, 21.10 sqm and 12.80 sqm in Cardiff.
	The Wales Office has reduced costs since May 2010 by having a combined private office for all three Ministers. This allows the Department to make the most efficient use of its resources by ensuring flexible support for Ministers and avoiding duplication of work. The number of staff in the combined private office is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Grade Number 
			 SCS 1 
			 Band A (Grade 7) 1 
			 Band C (HEO) 2 
			 Band D (EO) 1 
			 Band E (AO) 3 
			 Band F (AA) 1 
			 Apprentice 1

NATO

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales on the forthcoming NATO summit in Wales.

David Jones: The NATO summit is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the United Kingdom on a global stage.
	I have had numerous discussions with the First Minister of Wales on bringing the NATO summit to Wales and will continue to do. I have not discussed the matter with the Scottish Government.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background.

Stephen Crabb: Of the staff recruited to the Wales Office since 5 May 2010, 33% declared themselves as (a)white British and 6% declared themselves as (b) from a minority ethnic background. The remaining 61% consists of staff who have refused to declare their ethnicity or have not stated their ethnicity.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

WiFi

Ian Austin: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013 to the hon. Member for Lichfield, Official Report, column 4W, on wi-fi; what progress the Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology service has made in looking at ways of securely improving the wi-fi service to a wider range of devices.

John Thurso: There has been no change since my answer to the hon. Member on 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 4W except that ICT support is no longer provided from the Members' Centre but is now available at a new location at the top of the escalators in the Portcullis House atrium.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Parliamentary Advisory Group

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 413W, on research, who the members of the Commission parliamentary advisory group are; who appointed them; when this group met; and what issues have been discussed and decided upon by the group in the last year.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the Parliamentary Advisory Group is made up of senior politicians whose expertise helps the Commission consider different issues.
	The group has no formal status, unlike the Parliamentary Parties Panel. The group aims to meet three times a year.
	The Commission issues invitations to, and appoints members of the group as vacancies arise in order to ensure that it continues to represent the main parties and the Cross Benches of the House of Lords.
	Because of the different regulatory and electoral arrangements in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland parties are not included.
	The group provides the Commission with advice on an ongoing basis through meetings and ad hoc email consultation. The Commission is not bound by the advice given, and no decisions are taken. Nor are the members of the group expected to endorse or otherwise lend support to the Commission's policies.
	The Commission informs me that minutes from the meetings can be found on its website here:
	www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/who-we-are/governance-and-decision-making/parliamentary-advisory-group
	Members of the Parliamentary Advisory Group are as follows:
	(current vacancy for a Conservative MP)
	right hon. Lord Renton of Mount Harry (Conservative)
	Lord Bichard (Crossbench)
	Dr Alan Whitehead MP (Labour)
	Lord Wills (Labour)
	right hon. Michael Moore MP (Liberal Democrat)
	Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat)
	right hon. Elfyn Llwyd MP (Plaid Cymru)
	Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP (SNP) .

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Equality

Dominic Raab: To ask the Attorney-General how many publications the Law Officers' Departments has produced for the purposes of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity in each of the last five years; and what the cost of producing such publications was in each such year.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published three Equality in Employment reports for the purposes of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity in the last five years. The reports were published electronically on the CPS website and as such the CPS did not incur any direct publication costs.
	The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has produced a number of leaflets and other publications internally for such purposes during this period. There is no central repository of these, but they include the current Equality and Diversity Action plan and workforce report which are published on the SFO's website. The SFO does not record financial information in a way that allows all potentially relevant records to be readily identified. However, publications are normally produced in-house by SFO staff.
	The remaining Law Officers' Departments have not produced any specific publications for the purpose of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity during the last five years, although the TSol annual report and accounts and the HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor annual report and accounts do contain statements and data on fairness and diversity.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the written statement of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 39WS, on Serious Fraud Office (Contingencies Fund Advance), for what reasons the Serious Fraud Office was unable to settle its material liabilities without a supplementary estimate at that point in the financial year.

Dominic Grieve: The Serious Fraud Office investigates the most serious and complex cases of fraud, bribery and corruption. It has a core budget for this purpose. Some exceptionally large cases may require additional resources. The Government has previously made clear that where the SFO needs additional resources, these will be provided. The current agreement with HM Treasury is that any exceptional case funding should be agreed as part of the supplementary estimates process.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the written statement of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 39WS, on Serious Fraud Office (Contingencies Fund Advance), what proportion of the additional funds that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has requested from HM Treasury is intended for use in (a) providing blockbuster investigations and (b) meeting the costs of legal actions in which the SFO is the respondent rather than the prosecutor.

Dominic Grieve: As I have said before, it is not in the public interest to specify in such detail what resources the Serious Fraud Office intends to dedicate to each case.

Taxation: Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 468W, on taxation: fraud, how many confiscation orders were imposed in tax fraud cases by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year from 2010-11 to 2012-13; and how much has been recovered in respect of those orders.

Oliver Heald: The CPS holds information for cases categorised as tax and benefit fraud or VAT fraud, but not in respect of tax fraud only. The answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 468W, sets out the number of confiscation orders for tax, benefit and VAT fraud cases. CPS holds information on the total amounts paid in respect of such orders.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum: Syria

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government has to offer asylum to Christians looking to flee the fighting in Syria; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Each asylum claim is considered on its individual merits.
	HM Government has also recently announced a new programme—the Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme (VPR)—which will run in parallel with the UNHCR's own Syria Humanitarian Assistance Programme. The programme will be based on need rather than being designed to meet a quota; however we envisage it will support several hundred people. We will work closely with UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable refugees. In particular, the programme will prioritise help for survivors of torture and violence, and women and children at risk or in need of medical care.

Borders: Personal Records

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of passengers entering the UK had data collected under the E-borders programme in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office collects Advance Passenger Information for passengers who travel to the UK on routes connected to the Semaphore system. The estimated proportion of passengers who travelled to the UK on routes connected to Semaphore in each year is in the following table. Due to the ongoing legal arbitration between the Home Office and Raytheon it is not possible to disclose coverage data for 2010.
	
		
			 Semaphore passenger coverage 
			  Coverage (percentage) 
			 2009 57 
			 2010 n/a 
			 2011 64 
			 2012 67 
			 2013 79

Entry Clearances: Married People

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many spouse visa applications have been deferred on financial grounds whilst awaiting further evidence on the sponsors income in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many spouse visa applications have been deferred on financial grounds whilst awaiting further evidence on the sponsors income to date.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 4 February 2014
	The Home Office does not hold internal management information on the number of spouse visa applications deferred on financial grounds while awaiting further evidence on the sponsors income since the new family rules were introduced on 9 July 2012.
	This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost through a search of individual case records.

Fraud

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what analysis she has made of the factors accounting for the variation in performance between each police force dissemination rate and detection rate in fraud cases;
	(2)  what analysis she has made of the reasons for the disproportionately lower fraud case detection rate in metropolitan police forces compared to non-metropolitan forces;
	(3)  what analysis she has made of the reasons for the disparity in fraud cases referred to individual police forces by the City of London Police and the number of such cases followed through to arrest.

Karen Bradley: holding answer 24 February 2014
	The Government is committed to improving the approach to fraud and ensuring a consistent response across the country. We have created Action Fraud as the single reporting point for fraud, financially motivated cyber-enabled crime and offences under the Computer Misuse Act. Action Fraud receives all reports on these crimes, passes them to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) run by the City of London Police. The NFIB analyses the reports, draws out links between cases and sends out actionable intelligence packages for forces to investigate. The NFIB also issues intelligence assessments to inform the police response.
	We are committed to improving this system, and as announced previously 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 36WS, the Action Fraud service will transfer to the City of London Police by 31 March 2014 to create a stronger end-to-end fraud reporting and analysis system.
	While the response of individual forces is a matter for the respective Police and Crime Commissioner, we are supporting local forces through investment in Regional Organised Crime Units, which provide local forces with dedicated specialist capabilities to tackle serious and organised crime. Supported by £30 million of Government investment this year, the police are improving consistency across these units and uplifting their investigative capabilities in core areas—including cyber crime and fraud.

Fraud

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to increase the resources allocated to fraud investigation.

Karen Bradley: holding answer 24 February 2014
	The Government has so far committed £63 million over four years from the National Cyber Security Programme to strengthen law enforcement's ability to respond to online crime, including fraud. At a national level, we have created the National Crime Agency, with its Economic Crime Command, which will bring a single national focus to cutting economic crime and will lead and co-ordinate the national fight against fraud, working with law enforcement agencies, regulators, Government and the public, private and voluntary sectors.
	We are investing a further £30 million this year in regional police capabilities to fight serious and organised crime, including new fraud and cyber crime investigation teams.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to ensure that foreign citizens are able to access medical treatment and register with a GP while their passport is being held by her Department to process their visa application.

James Brokenshire: NHS hospitals can, with the patient's consent, request an immigration status check from the Home Office where necessary to help them determine whether overseas visitor treatment charges are applicable. Treatment that is considered urgent or immediately necessary will not be delayed while this check is performed. NHS GP consultations are free of charge regardless of immigration status.

Human Trafficking

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 314W, on human trafficking, how many victims of trafficking for the purpose of (a) labour exploitation and (b)  domestic servitude received positive conclusive grounds decisions broken down by each first responder in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Karen Bradley: The following data represents the position on 30 January 2014 and is therefore subject to change:
	
		
			 2010 Number 
			 Labour Exploitation-Positive Conclusive Grounds Decisions  
			 Local Authorities 6 
			 Police 65 
			 SOCA 1 
			 Home Office 17 
			 NGOs: Kalayaan 1 
			 Migrant Helpline 12 
			 Total 102 
			   
			 Domestic Servitude-Positive Conclusive Grounds Decisions  
			 Local Authorities 15 
			 Police 9 
			 SOCA 1 
			 Home Office 19 
			 NGOs: Ashiana 1 
			 Kalayaan 7 
			 Medaille Trust 1 
			 Migrant Helpline 3 
			 Poppy Project 4 
			 Total 60 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 Number 
			 Labour Exploitation- Positive Conclusive Grounds Decisions  
			 Local Authorities 32 
			 Police 88 
			 SOCA 25 
			 Home Office 14 
			 NGOs: Barnados 1 
			 Medaille Trust 3 
			 Migrant Help 11 
			 Migrant Helpline 12 
			 Poppy Project 1 
			 Salvation Army 19 
			 Total 206 
			   
			 Domestic Servitude-Positive Conclusive Grounds Decisions  
			 Local Authorities 7 
			 Police 7 
			 SOCA 1 
			 Home Office 32 
			 NGOs: Barnados 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Kalayaan 8 
			 Migrant Help 1 
			 Poppy Project 3 
			 Salvation Army 2 
			 Total 62 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 Number 
			 Labour Exploitation-Positive Conclusive Grounds Decisions  
			 Local Authorities 13 
			 Police 89 
			 SOCA 22 
			 Home Office 31 
			 GLA 16 
			 NGOs: Barnados 1 
			 CTAIL (NSPCC) 1 
			 Medaille Trust 4 
			 Migrant Help 5 
			 Salvation Army 46 
			 Total 228 
			   
			 Domestic Servitude-Positive Conclusive Grounds Decisions  
			 Local Authorities 8 
			 Police 10 
			 Home Office 11 
			 NGOs: Barnados 2 
			 Kalayaan 5 
			 Medaille Trust 1 
			 Poppy Project 2 
			 Salvation Army 7 
			 Unseen UK 1 
			 Total 47

Immigrants: Detainees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals detained in immigration removal centres have been transferred to hospital following sectioning under the Mental Health Act 1983 from (a) Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, (b) Hammondsworth Immigration Removal Centre, (c) Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre and (d) all other immigration removal centres in each of the last five years for which records are available.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 February 2014
	Figures on people leaving detention, by all reasons for leaving, are available from 2010.
	The following table shows the number of people leaving detention who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. It is presumed that they were all transferred to hospital. The data are shown by last place of detention and from 2010 to September 2013.
	
		
			 People leaving detention, sectioned under the Mental Health Act by place of last detention, 2010 to September 2013 
			  Total Detainees Colnbrook IRC Harmondsworth IRC Yarl's Wood IRC Other IRC/STHF 
			 2010 20 5 6 0 9 
			 2011 8 2 4 0 2 
			 20121 19 4 7 1 7 
		
	
	
		
			 January to September 20131 10 0 0 3 7 
			 1 Provisional data. Note: IRC = immigration removal centre STHF = short term holding facility 
		
	
	The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within Immigration Statistics. Other data on people in detention are readily available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: July-September 2013, from the GOV.UK website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
	Published figures on people detained in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers include those held in short term holding facilities, pre departure accommodation and immigration removal-centres. Figures exclude those held in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24-hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department gives the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) on handling complaints about an investigation conducted by the IPCC.

Damian Green: The Government does not issue such guidance to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Information Officers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press officers were employed in her Department on 1 February 2014.

Karen Bradley: 39 press officers were employed in the Home Office press office on 1 February 2014, including operationally-focused staff based around the UK.

Migrant Help

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Migrant Help will have an office in Wrexham to assist in giving advice to asylum seekers there as part of its contract to assist and advise asylum seekers.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 February 2014
	Migrant Helpline have no plans to open an office in Wrexham.
	At present, their service model proposes offices in the seven current initial accommodation centres. A free national telephone helpline with interpretation provided in 80 languages and through the Migrant Help website, online information both written and audio, in 15 languages, will be available to clients. Finally, additionally outreach services will respond to identified needs, vulnerable clients, group briefings and specific requests.

Nurseries

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many workplace nurseries (a) directly operated by her Department and (b) operated by a third party on her Department's property there were at (i) 5 May 2010 and (ii) 5 February 2014; and how many such nurseries are expected to cease operating in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

Karen Bradley: There were no workplace nurseries either directly operated by the Home Department or operated by a third party on the Department's property as at 5 May 2010 and 5 February 2014.
	The Home Office operates a Childcare Voucher Salary Sacrifice Scheme for staff, which staff can use to help meet the costs of registered child care.

Police Federation of England and Wales

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times she has met representatives from the Police Federation in each year since 2010.

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

Police: Emergency Calls

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of an emergency police call out is.

Damian Green: Information on the average cost of an emergency police call out is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Private Investigators

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she has made on introducing a regulatory system for private investigators; and when she expects such a system to become operational.

Karen Bradley: As the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced in July, regulation of private investigators will commence in autumn 2014. It will become a criminal offence for a person to undertake the activity of conducting private investigations without a statutory licence in 2015.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of staff recruited to her Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background.

Karen Bradley: 86% of employees recruited to the Home Department since 5 May 2010 declared their ethnicity. Of these employees, 74% identified their ethnicity as (a) white and 26% as (b) minority ethnic.

Vetting

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of people who are registered for the Disclosure and Barring Service's Update Service but are required by an employer to obtain a new certificate rather than having their certificate checked on the Update Service;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of progress on encouraging employers and organisations to use the Disclosure and Barring Service's Update Service.

Karen Bradley: As of 24 February, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update Service has 104,774 subscribers. 72 subscribers have been advised that their existing certificate was out-of-date and that a new certificate was required. Only 473 subscribers have applied for a new DBS certificate for the same workforce and voluntary status. Of those, it is not possible to state how many were required to do so by employers.
	The DBS continues to monitor uptake of the Update Service closely, and is pleased that over 100,000 people have subscribed in just eight months.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2013, Official Report, columns 869-70W, on arms trade: trade fairs, what the specific roles and responsibilities are of (a) his Department, (b) other government departments, (c) Clarion Events and (d) other parties for ensuring compliance with and enforcing the Export Control Order 2008 in respect of (i) the Defence and Security Equipment International arms fair and (ii) an alleged breach of arms control legislation at that arms fair in 2013; and if he will place a copy of the memorandum of understanding between his Department's Export Control Organisation and Clarion Events in the Library.

Michael Fallon: The Export Control Organisation in BIS is responsible for ensuring that Clarion Events make exhibitors aware of their responsibilities in respect of export and trade controls.
	Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are responsible for the enforcement of UK export controls.
	The Metropolitan Police are responsible for policing and security at the exhibition.
	Clarion Events is responsible for organising the exhibition and making exhibitors aware of their responsibilities in respect of export and trade controls.
	The Export Control Organisation within BIS has set in place a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Clarion which sets out their role and responsibilities, and those of the exhibitor companies, in respect of export control legislation. Details of the support activities undertaken between Clarion and Government Departments, compliance authorities and agencies are also included. The MoU will be reviewed ahead of the next exhibition in 2015. A copy of the MoU will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Business: Females

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of businesses are owned by women in each region.

Matthew Hancock: The small business survey collects data on the gender of business owners but its sample is not large enough to provide regional results. Data are available for SMEs only.
	Estimates from the BIS Small Business Survey show that 19% of the 4.9 million SMEs (which make up 99.9% of the business population) at the start of 2013 were solely or majority owned by women. A total of 42% of SMEs had at least one woman partner or director on the management team.

Business: Government Assistance

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what amount in (a) grants, (b) loan guarantees and (c) other financial assistance the Government has given to small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 24 February 2014
	The information requested is as follows:
	(a) BIS has provided the following grant support to small and medium-sized enterprises over the last five years:
	£61.1 million (2009-10);
	£75.1 million (2010-11);
	£105.0 million (2011-12);
	£118.4 million (2012-13); and
	£69.7 million (2013-14).
	This includes grant schemes provided by the Technology Strategy Board, Tradeshow Access Programme, Market Visit Support, Export Communications Reviews, Export Marketing Research Scheme and Business Development Credits. In addition, RGF programmes, which can be accessed by SMEs, have provided £341.8 million thus far and supported 3,419 SMEs.
	(b) BIS has provided the following loan guarantees to small and medium-sized enterprises over the last five years:
	£675.5 million (2009);
	£532.8 million (2010);
	£330.2 million (2011);
	£308.7 million (2012); and
	£380.2 million (2013).
	This includes the Small Firms Loan Guarantee, Enterprise Finance Guarantee and loans guarantees provided by UK Export Finance.
	(c) BIS has provided other financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises over each of the last five years:
	£45.3 million (2009);
	£60.9 million (2010);
	£58.8 million (2011);
	£109.7 million (2012); and
	£153.5 million (2013).
	This assistance has been provided through Equity Funds, Business Finance Partnership, Start-Up Loans Scheme and insurance contracts issued by UK Export Finance. Furthermore, support for businesses with fewer than 1000 employees that take on apprentices aged 16 to 24 is also available in the form of a £1,500 grant per apprentice up to a maximum of 10. Provisional data show that there were 49,300 apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16 to 24) scheme between February 2012 and October 2013. A further 15,800 were in the pipeline (started but not yet paid).
	Details of wider schemes that benefit both large and smaller business can be found in the Department’s Annual Report And Accounts available at:
	www.gov.uk

Chemicals

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will require the use of non-toxic alternatives to ehtylene glycol in anti-freeze products to reduce toxicity of ingestion by small children and pets.

Jennifer Willott: I do not plan to introduce such a requirement as I believe the legislation already in place is effective. Consumers should be aware of the dangers presented by ethylene glycol based antifreeze products because they are required to carry appropriate safety warnings under classification and labelling regulations. This legislation is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive and I will alert the relevant Minister to your concerns. I will also alert the appropriate Minister within DEFRA which has overall responsibility for animal welfare.
	I would encourage those who are concerned to approach the manufacturers of antifreeze and ask them to introduce non-toxic formulations on a voluntary basis.

Chemicals

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to require the addition of a bittering agent to ethylene glycol-based anti-freeze products to prevent ingestion by small children and pets.

Jennifer Willott: I do not plan to introduce such a requirement as I believe the legislation already in place is effective. Consumers should be aware of the dangers presented by ethylene glycol based antifreeze products because they are required to carry appropriate safety warnings under classification and labelling regulations. I would encourage those who are concerned to approach the manufacturers of antifreeze and ask them to introduce bittering agents on a voluntary basis. Some major retail outlets are already selling ethylene glycol based antifreezes to which the manufacturer has elected to add such a bittering agent.

Energy: Industry

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will discuss with the European Commission the backdating of compensation to energy-intensive industries for the costs associated with the Carbon Floor Price;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of when the EU state aid decision will be made on compensating energy-intensive industries for the costs associated with the Carbon Floor Price;
	(3)  what long-term support his Department will provide for energy-intensive industries;
	(4)  what his policy is on extending the compensation package for energy-intensive industries to include the renewables obligation.

Michael Fallon: There has been considerable engagement between the Government and the Commission regarding the state aid case for the compensation scheme for the indirect costs of the carbon price floor including on the issue of backdating of compensation.
	We recently heard from the Commission that their consideration of the case is coming to a close and, subject to their final decision, and I hope that we will receive clearance shortly. This will not include approval for backdating but we will continue to raise this issue with the European Commission.
	The package of compensation for energy intensive industries includes compensation for the indirect costs of the carbon price floor and the EU emission trading system. It does not include the renewables obligation. We continue to keep the situation under review.
	The Government remains concerned about the impact of energy and climate change policies on energy intensive industries and that is why we have put in place a package of measures to reduce the impact of policy costs on electricity for the most electricity-intensive industries. This includes exempting energy intensive industries from the cost of Electricity Market Reform (Contract for Difference) feed-in-tariffs-the future mechanism by which low carbon energy subsidies will be administered.

Equality

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many publications his Department has produced for the purposes of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity in each of the last five years; and what the cost of producing such publications was in each such year.

Jennifer Willott: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was formed in 2009 so there are no details available until 2010-11.
	At BIS we believe that a commitment to equality and diversity (E&D) is critical to ensuring that we are able to deliver on BIS' priorities, as well as the Government's wider goals. It is our vision to fully mainstream E&D into our core business to achieve a position where it is in the foundation of our business and a part of everything that we do.
	On 6 April 2012, we published our Equality Objectives, which set out our aims in regards to internal Equality and Diversity.
	The Department also publishes its Staff Diversity information each year, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty. This is available on:
	www.gov.uk
	The 2010-11 data was published on 4 December 2012; the 2011-12 data was published on 15 January 2013; and the 2012-13 data was published on 3 February 2014.
	The cost of producing the Equality Objectives and each workforce diversity information report is estimated at £3,000.

Floods: Insurance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on the Flood Re scheme.

Jennifer Willott: Central records show that the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not received any representations on the Flood Re scheme.

Higher Education: Apprentices

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department issues on whether apprenticeships are included in higher education for the purposes of education, health and care plans; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: Apprenticeships are not defined as higher education for the purposes of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. The draft 0-25 SEN Code of Practice makes clear that a young person on an apprenticeship may receive support through an EHC plan while they are participating.
	The draft code (which has recently been out for consultation) can be found here:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/Draft%20SEN% 20Code%20of%20Practice.pdf

ICE Academy

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what checks were made on students from ICE Academy before student loans were issued to them.

David Willetts: Personal eligibility checks were carried out on students at ICE academy that applied in for student support in academic 2013-14.
	To receive funding, students must have a place on a course which has been designated for student support at the location at which they are planning to study.
	ICE Academy misled the Student Loans Company (SLC) by submitting inaccurate information about the locations where a number of its students were studying. In came to the Department's attention that these students were in fact studying courses which had not been designated in respect of the location at which they were in fact being delivered by ICE Academy.
	These discrepancies were indentified by the SLC and payments suspended.

ICE Academy

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students at ICE Adademy have (a) applied for student loans and (b) been granted student loans to date; and what the total value of such loans granted is.

David Willetts: The Student Loans Company had received 1,110 applications for students support from students intending to study at ICE Academy. 520 of those applications have been approved, worth a total of £3,237,000 in grants and loans.

Land Registry

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he will take to ensure that the impartiality of the Land Registry is protected following any privatisation.

Michael Fallon: The BIS consultation seeks views both on the proposal to create a new company and on potential ownership options for this new company. If a decision to alter the commercial model is taken, including any change of ownership, it is envisaged that the Office of the Chief Land Registrar (OLCR) would be retained within Government and that the OCLR would protect the integrity of the Register and ensure that customers' interests continue to be protected.
	However, no decision will be taken on the future commercial model for Land Registry, including on ownership, until the consultation is completed and all responses have been considered.

Maternity Pay

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the standard level and duration is of contractual maternity pay paid to civil servants in his Department.

Jennifer Willott: The standard contractual maternity pay (departmental maternity pay) paid to civil servants in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is full pay for 26-weeks, subject to qualifying conditions.

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of his Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of his Department's Ministers.

Jennifer Willott: The Department has seven offices occupied by Ministers ranging in size from 31square metres to 46 square metres.
	Across the private offices of BIS Ministers (Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable), Minister of State for Universities and Science (David Willetts), Minister of State for Business and Energy (Michael Fallon), Minister of State for Trade and Investment (Lord Livingston of Parkhead), Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise (Matthew Hancock), Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie), Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs (Jenny Willott)) there are the following officials whose pay is funded by BIS as at 31 January 2014:
	
		
			  Number 
			 SCS 1 
			 Grade 7 6 
			 SEO 1 
			 HEO 12 
			 EO 21 
			 AO 1

National Apprenticeship Service

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent employees were employed by the National Apprenticeship Service in April (a) 2012 and (b) 2013; and how many such staff will be employed in April (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015.

Matthew Hancock: The average number of staff employed during the following financial years within the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) is as follows:
	
		
			 FY Average FTE (employed during the year) 
			 2011 12,332 
			 2012 13,324 
		
	
	The NAS was integrated into the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) on 1 April 2013 from which point the delivery of the NAS has been a function of the wider SFA. Information for 2013-14 will be included in our Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14 which is due to be published in June 2014.
	An interim figure is available per the hard close accounts at 31 December 2013 but this information is subject to audit. We can include this as an unaudited average FTE.

New Businesses: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the operation of the Start-Up Loans Scheme in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: The Start-Up Loans scheme was launched in Northern Ireland in November 2013. Currently 56 loans have been drawn down with a value of £234,000. These loans have been made across four delivery partners.
	Going forward BIS will continue to work closely with the Start-Up Loans Company to manage partner performance, ensuring the scheme continues to meet applicant demand in Northern Ireland.

New Businesses: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of successful applicants to the Start-Up Loans Scheme in Northern Ireland are based in North Down constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: As of 13 February 2014 2 Start-Up Loans have been drawn down in the North Down constituency, with an overall value of £5,800.

Shipping: Pay

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what reports his Department has received on the owners of ships working the Irish Sea routes paying their staff below minimum wage; and what guidance his Department has issued on the application of minimum wage legislation to the crews of ships operating between two UK ports.

Jennifer Willott: The Department for Business revised its guidance for seafarers in late 2013 updating guidance on the enforcement on the national minimum wage. This is available on the GOV.UK website.
	The Government supports the minimum wage because of the protection it gives low income workers and the incentives to work it provides. If employees think they are been paid below the minimum wage they should report it to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline in the first instance on telephone number 0800 917 2368.
	HMRC, who enforce the NMW on behalf of BIS, will investigate every case that is reported.
	HM Revenue and Customs have a legal duty of confidentiality towards their customers. For NMW, this includes employers and their workers. Unfortunately they cannot disclose details of reported alleged instances of non compliant employers.

Student Loans Company

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of privatising the Student Loans Company on the cost of debts to debtors.

David Willetts: There are no current plans to review the ownership of the Student Loans Company.

Students: Loans

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the privatisation of student loans.

David Willetts: As stated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), in the December 2013 autumn statement, the Government intends to sell the pre-Browne Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) student loan book. Work is under way in preparation for a potential sale of the first tranche of loans in 2015-16.

Vocational Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the employer ownership of skills initiative in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 24 February 2014
	The Employer Ownership Pilot has two rounds, commencing in 2012. There is no intention to hold a round 3. Projects awarded funding in Rounds 1 and 2 will have continuing activity in years 2014-15 and 2015-16.
	The lessons we learn from Round 1 and 2 have informed the design of employer ownership in the future. A formal announcement on the next stage of the Employer Ownership programme will be made in the spring.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Cattle: Transport

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether farmers still require his Department's permission before moving closed herds during the recent flooding period; and how many such applications his Department has (a) received and (b) granted.

George Eustice: Cattle keepers are not required to seek the Department's permission to move livestock unless individual animals or the entire herd are subject to disease specific movement controls. Farmers continue to able to freely move unrestricted animals under a ‘general licence’ subject to complying with the usual terms and conditions of the licence.

Floods: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total value of the damage to flood and coastal defences in each local authority area in Cumbria caused by recent floods and storms is; and how much funding his Department is making available for repairs to those defences.

Dan Rogerson: The total damage to flood and coastal defences caused by the floods and storms across Cumbria by local authority is as follows:
	
		
			 Local authority Cost to local authority (£) Cost to Environment Agency (£) Total cost (£) Funding allocated for repairs (£) 
			 South Lakeland district council ? 108,000 ? (108,000) 
			 Barrow borough council 20,000 25,000 45,000 (45,000) 
			 Copeland borough council 560,000 40,000 600,000 (350,000) 
		
	
	
		
			 Allerdale borough council 400,000 200,000 600,000 (200,000) 
			 Eden district council ? 5,000 ? (5,000) 
			 Carlisle city council ? ? ? (0) 
		
	
	Where a cost estimate contains a question mark, these assessments are ongoing and an accurate figure cannot be provided.
	The figure shown in brackets is the funding the Environment Agency and/or the local authority have already secured to date for repair works. The remaining funding required is currently being sought.

Floods: Fracking

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of fracking techniques on the likelihood of flooding.

Dan Rogerson: Hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ is a technique which can be used in the process of extraction of oil or gas. Fracking takes place hundreds of metres below ground and would have no effect on the likelihood of flooding. For the surface installations required for borehole construction and hydraulic fracturing, the Environment Agency is a statutory adviser in the planning process. Where appropriate, it will require flood risk assessments and may object to developments if flood risk is unacceptable or require conditions on how the site is constructed and operated to mitigate flood risk, through flood consents.

Floods: Fracking

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the environmental effect of continuous flooding techniques and the use of underground aquifers associated with the fracking process.

Dan Rogerson: The abstraction of water from an underground aquifer for use in hydraulic fracturing will require a licence from the appropriate environmental regulator. Environmental regulators will not permit fracking to take place where there is an unacceptable risk that this could pollute an aquifer. For the surface installations required for borehole construction and hydraulic fracturing, the Environment Agency is a statutory adviser in the planning process. Where appropriate, it will require flood risk assessments and may object to developments if flood risk is unacceptable or require conditions on how the site is constructed and operated to mitigate flood risk, through flood consents.

Floods: Housing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of properties that have been flooded in 2014.

Dan Rogerson: At close of business on 13 February the estimated number of properties flooded was 1,940.

Floods: Housing

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the Flood Awareness Service and Flood Shops proposed by UK Flood Barriers Ltd and their partners in assisting householders to improve individual property protection against flooding.

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA and the Environment Agency met UK Flood Barriers Limited in February 2012 to discuss the Flood Awareness Service and Flood Shops initiatives they were developing.
	DEFRA and the Environment Agency encouraged UK Flood Barriers to develop these ideas further by working with other manufacturers and suppliers of flood protection products and services in the UK, and with organisations including the Flood Protection Association and with the National Flood Forum.

Floods: Insurance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the total cost of including properties built in accordance with National Planning Policy guidelines since 2009 in the Flood Re scheme.

Dan Rogerson: We have estimated that including properties built post 2009 would add between 3,500 and 16,000 properties to the Flood Re scheme, thus increasing the pool's liability by between £0.9 million and £3.3 million.

Floods: Insurance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 560W, on floods: insurance, what assessment he has made of the number of properties built in accordance with National Planning Policy frameworks but which are deemed as high flood-risk by the insurance industry; and what his policy is on including such policies in the Flood Re scheme.

Dan Rogerson: No assessment has been made as to the number of properties built in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework and deemed at high risk of flooding by the insurance industry. However, based on the number of properties that are developed against Environment Agency flood risk advice, we have estimated that between 3,500 and 16,000 properties built post 2009 would be considered at high flood risk.
	The decision to cede a policy to Flood Re will be taken by an insurer and is dependent on the property's flood risk and eligibility for the scheme. Those properties built after 2009 will not be eligible for the Flood Re Scheme.

Floods: Insurance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will place limits on the amount of excess charges insurance companies can apply to their policies under the Flood Re scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The Flood Re Scheme will protect those at risk of flooding by effectively limiting the amount that high risk households would need to pay on the flood insurance element of their premiums and excesses. Flood Re will be established via Secondary Legislation which will be introduced under powers we are seeking through the Water Bill; details on the Scheme will be set out as part of this implementation process.
	As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the ABI, the industry will ensure that there will be a standard flood excess in the range of £250 to £500 for policies ceded to Flood Re.

Land Drainage

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whose responsibility it is to maintain balancing tanks and sustainable urban development systems; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: Responsibility for maintaining existing balancing tanks and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) is determined by their ownership.
	Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 introduces a SuDS Approving Body (SAB) in each English county or unitary authority to maintain approved SuDS serving more than one property. DEFRA aims to introduce the secondary legislation by April 2014, with commencement at the earliest opportunity.

Public Bodies

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government contribution to the budget of each of his Department's executive agencies and executive non-departmental public bodies was for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15, broken down by capital and revenue.

Dan Rogerson: Due to adjustments made as a result of implementing HM Treasury's Clear Line of Sight initiative, which aligned Budgets, Estimates and Accounts from 2011-12, the budget allocations shown for 2010-11 are not directly comparable with the allocations shown for 2011-12 to 2013-14.
	Budgets for 2014-15 will be published after Parliament has voted on the Department's Main Estimate for 2014-15.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Executive Agency  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Animal Health1 Capital 12,856 — — — 
			  Revenue 123,717 — — — 
			       
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency1,2 Capital 9,373 — — — 
			  Revenue 0 — — — 
			       
		
	
	
		
			 Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency2 Capital — 12,601 14,212 11,725 
			  Revenue — 0 0 0 
			       
			 Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture Science2 Capital 3,400 1,903 1,766 1,118 
			  Revenue (2) 0 0 0 
			       
			 Food and Environment Research Agency2 Capital 2,967 3,186 6,683 1,589 
			  Revenue 0 0 0 0 
			       
			 Rural Payments Agency Capital 10,683 2,115 2,387 2,923 
			  Revenue 338,597 186,230 196,502 163,645 
			       
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate2 Capital 300 240 240 27 
			  Revenue 0 0 0 0 
			 1 Animal Health and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency were separate entities in 2010-11. They merged on 1 April 2011. 2 VLA, AHVLA, Cefas, Fera and the VMD were/are Net Control Agencies, where income equals expenditure and thus no revenue allocation is made by the Core Department. 
		
	
	
		
			 £000 
			 Executive Non-Departmental Public Body  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board1 Capital 0 0 0 0 
			  Revenue 0 0 0 0 
			       
			 Commission for Rural Communities2 Capital 0 0 0 — 
			  Revenue 6,834 600 380 — 
			       
			 Consumer Council for Water Capital 0 0 0 0 
			  Revenue 76 5,201 5,130 5,095 
			       
			 Environment Agency Capital 439,245 324,600 340,736 349,997 
			  Revenue 598,308 579,772 557,640 489,131 
			       
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority Capital 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Revenue 1,634 1,935 1,418 1,376 
			       
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee Capital 0 0 0 0 
			  Revenue 7,609 10,311 9,763 10,809 
			       
			 Marine Management Organisation Capital 2,100 1,340 1,488 860 
			  Revenue 31,790 30,851 31,177 28,049 
			       
			 National Forest Company Capital 0 900 0 300 
			  Revenue 3,439 2,353 3,099 2,640 
			       
			 Natural England Capital 5,642 5,047 6,019 4,324 
			  Revenue 237,805 195,711 175,939 176,958 
			       
			 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Capital 7,900 901 11,200 4,225 
			  Revenue 19,220 29,649 21,163 25,163 
			       
			 Sea Fish Industry Authority1 Capital 0 0 0 0 
			  Revenue 0 0 0 0 
			 1 The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and the Sea Fish Industry Authority are levy funded and thus do not receive a budgetary allocation from the Core Department. 2 The Commission for Rural Communities closed on 31 March 2013.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of women who had an abortion in each of the last five years but were using some form of artificial contraceptive when they became pregnant; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold this information.

Abortion

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the advice given by private abortion providers to pregnant women on the illegality of gender selective abortion.

Jane Ellison: The chief medical officer has written to all doctors involved in abortion care on two occasions (23 February 2012 and 23 November 2013). Both letters stated that abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal. Further guidance on compliance with the Abortion Act will be published shortly.

Abortion: Counselling

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will bring oversight of pregnancy and abortion counselling services within the responsibilities of the Care Quality Commission;
	(2)  if he will review the quality and impartiality of advice provided by pregnancy and abortion counselling services.

Jane Ellison: The Government's Framework for Sexual Health Improvement,, published in March 2013, made clear that abortion counselling should be provided by trained counsellors and that it should be non-judgmental, impartial and put patients' needs first, irrespective of the employer of the counsellor. It is for national health service providers to ensure that the services they recommend meet this need.

Ambulance Services

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of an emergency ambulance call-out is.

Jane Ellison: The estimated average cost of an emergency ambulance call-out is £221.
	This estimate was derived from reference costs collected from national health service ambulance service trusts in England in 2012-13. It includes the costs of emergency and urgent calls received by ambulance service switchboards, conveying patients to healthcare providers, and treating and discharging patients at the scene of the incident without conveyance. It does not include the costs of incidents that were resolved without dispatching a vehicle. These costs are published at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-reference-costs-2012-to-2013

Brain: Tumours

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of brain tumours in children; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, published on 12 January 2011, committed over £450 million up to 2014-15 to achieve earlier diagnosis of cancer, including improving access to key diagnostic tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging scans to support the diagnosis of brain tumours.
	To increase general practitioner (GP) awareness of brain tumours in children, in 2012-13, the Department funded British Medical Journal Learning to provide an e-learning tool for GPs on diagnosing osteosarcoma and brain tumours in children. One learning module supports GPs to understand the main types of brain tumours in children and young people, their common symptom presentations and to recognise when patients need urgent referral, the other deals with communication barriers, and provides potential ways to address these barriers in GP consultations.
	NHS England's Paediatric Oncology service contract clearly defines what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based,, safe and effective cancer services for children, including those with brain tumours. The guidance is supported by a range of evidence, including “Improving Outcomes for Children and Young People with Cancer”, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The full guidance can be found at the following link:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e04-paedi-oncol.pdf
	Finally, in April 2012, the Government announced that it has set aside up to £250 million of public capital to be invested by the national health service in building Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) facilities at The Christie hospital in Manchester and University College London Hospital. PBT is particularly effective in treating children with certain brain and central nervous system tumours as its high accuracy results in fewer side effects and minimises adverse long term consequences of treatment. It is anticipated that patients will be able to access this service from 2018.

Cancer

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on research into (a) oesophageal cancer and (b) other cancers in each of the last five years; and how much his Department will spend on such research in 2014.

Daniel Poulter: Expenditure by the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on oesophageal cancer research through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 0.3 
			 2009-10 0.8 
			 2010-11 1.3 
			 2011-12 1.5 
			 2012-13 1.7 
		
	
	Total spend on oesophageal cancer research by the NIHR is higher than this because expenditure by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) on oesophageal cancer research cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.
	Total NIHR spend on cancer research is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 101.5 
			 2010-11 100.9 
			 2011-12 104.1 
			 2012-13 133.2 
		
	
	A comparable figure is not available for 2008-09. This was the final year in which transitional research funding was allocated to national health service organisations following the establishment of the NIHR.
	Total spend in future years by the NIHR on oesophageal and other cancer research depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including oesophageal and other cancer research. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the NHS, value for money and scientific quality.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to monitor the validity and procedural process of elections to clinical commissioning groups in England from the constituent parts making up these bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Clinical commissioning groups.(CCGs) are established as statutory national health service organisations. They are made up of the general practitioner (GP) practices which are established within the geographical area that the CCG covers. It is for the members of the CCG to decide how they will operate their organisation and this is detailed in their constitution. The NHS Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, does not specify that elections should be used to recruit to leadership roles in CCGs or to roles on CCG governing bodies.
	NHS England advise that many CCGs have decided to select their chair and other leadership roles via elections. Others have used a more traditional recruitment process and in other cases a combination of approaches has been used.
	CCGs had to demonstrate as part of their application to NHS England for authorisation that they had robust governance arrangements, including arrangements for transparency in decision-making and for dealing with potential conflicts of interest. These arrangements must be set out in the CCG constitution. Each CCG has a governing body, which is responsible for ensuring that the CCG has appropriate arrangements for ensuring that it adheres to principles of good governance.
	In addition, NHS England has set out an assurance framework for CCGs. One of the six assurance domains (domain 4) addresses matters of good governance and seeks to ensure appropriate governance structures are in place. NHS England hold assurance meetings with all CCGs on a quarterly basis.

Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients suffering from repeat depression were waiting for treatment based on (a) individual counselling and (b) mindfulness-based therapy in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Norman Lamb: We do not collect data centrally on the number of patients with repeat depression waiting for individual counselling or mindfulness-based therapies.
	From July 2014 the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Data Standard will be expanded to include mindfulness as a delivered therapy type.
	Data on the number of sessions of mindfulness delivered by IAPT services will be held by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Diabetes: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people with (a) Type 1 and (b) Type 2 diabetes in Peterborough constituency in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested. The National Diabetes Audit (NDA) collects the number of type 1 and type 2 diabetes registrations in primary and secondary care. However, data are not collected at constituency level, but can be provided at clinical commissioning group (CCG) level.
	Participation in the NDA is not mandatory, and it does not have 100% participation. The following tables show the number of patients recorded in the NDA who were diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG from 2009-10 to 2011-12 and the general practitioner practice participation rates in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG in those years.
	
		
			 NDA registrations in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG by diabetes type 
			 Audit year Type 1 diabetes Type 2 diabetes 
			 2011-12 3,433 29,289 
			 2010-11 3,806 30,832 
			 2009-10 3,553 26,488 
		
	
	
		
			 Practice participation rates in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG 
			 Audit year Total number of practices Number of participating practices Participation rate 
			 2011-12 108 99 91.7 
			 2010-11 108 100 92.6 
			 2009-10 108 94 87.0 
			 Notes: 1. NDA data prior to 2009-10 are not currently available. Data for 2011-12 are the most recent available. 2. The figures provided in the table should be considered in the context of increased coverage of the NDA. Coverage has improved from an estimated 80.2% case ascertainment in 2009-10 to an estimated 88.4% case ascertainment in 2011-12. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre—National Diabetes Audit

Doctors

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress he has made on providing mobility and flexibility in middle grade contracts for doctors.

Daniel Poulter: New contracts were introduced for career grade doctors in 2008. A new grade of specialty doctor was introduced with new terms and conditions, and the staff grade and the associate specialist grade were closed to new entrants. There is a range of options for doctors in the career grades to progress. They are eligible to apply for posts on national terms in the new specialty doctor grade or local terms or in the training grades, and to apply for entry onto the specialist register (allowing them to apply for consultant posts) if they have the requisite training and/or experience.

Heart Diseases

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in developing comparative data on the quality of care provided for patients with cardiovascular disease by general practices; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is working with Public Health England, the Care Quality Commission and other partners to explore scope for improving the reporting of comparative data on the quality of care provided for patients, including those with cardiovascular disease, by general practices.
	Some limited comparative data in relation to smoking cessation advice delivered, identification of atrial fibrillation and identification of coronary heart disease is already available by practice through the Primary Care Web Tool, which can be found at:
	www.primarycare.nhs.uk

Heart Diseases: Babies

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential need and benefits of routinely testing babies at birth for congenital heart disease; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	It has been good practice for many years for all babies to have a careful physical examination after birth. On the advice of the UK NSC, the NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) Screening Programme was set up to oversee the implementation of a high quality and consistent newborn and infant physical examination. The NIPE Screening Programme offers parents the opportunity to have their child examined shortly after birth (within the first 72 hours). The examination includes a general physical check as well as examination of the baby's eyes, heart, hips and testes in boys. A general examination of the baby's heart will be carried out by a clinician. As some conditions can develop later, the examination is repeated at six to eight weeks of age usually by a general practitioner. The earlier a congenital problem is detected, diagnosed and treated appropriately, the better the health outcome for that child, lessening the chances of long-term disability.
	The UK NSC is currently reviewing the evidence for newborn screening for heart conditions using pulse oximetry against its criteria. Ministers expect to receive a recommendation from the UK NSC on whether this technology should be added to the NIPE Screening Programme this year.

Heart Diseases: Babies

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of routinely testing babies at birth for congenital heart disease; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: This information is not held centrally. The examination shortly after birth (within the first 72 hours) for congenital heart disease is part of the postnatal pathway and is paid for as part of the maternity pathway payment (MPP). The costs for congenital heart disease screening are not identified separately within the MPP.
	The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
	It has been good practice for many years for all babies to have a careful physical examination after birth. On the advice of the UK NSC, the NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) Screening programme was set up to oversee the implementation of a high quality and consistent newborn and infant physical examination. The NIPE Screening programme offers parents the opportunity to have their child examined shortly after birth (within the first 72 hours). The examination includes a general physical check as well as examination of the baby's eyes, heart, hips and testes in boys. The examination is repeated at six to eight weeks of age.
	The UK NSC is currently reviewing the evidence for newborn screening for heart conditions using pulse oximetry against its criteria. Ministers expect to receive a recommendation from the UK NSC on whether this technology should be added to the NIPE Screening programme this year.

Medical Records: Databases

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reasons the care.data database requires patients to opt out rather than opt in;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the efficacy of procedures to allow patients to opt out of the care.data database.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 allows NHS England to direct the Health and Social Care Information Centre to extract data from general practitioner (GP) practices for the care.data programme. However, identifiable data will not be extracted from GP records of patients who object to the sharing of this information.
	On 18 February 2014, NHS England announced that they will collect data from GP surgeries later in the year, instead of April, to allow more time to build public awareness of the benefits of using the information, what safeguards are in place, how people can opt out if they, choose, and look into further measures that could be taken to build public confidence.

Neurology

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that healthcare professionals undertake continuing professional development in progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration.

Daniel Poulter: The content and standard of healthcare professional training is the responsibility of the regulators, which are independent statutory bodies. They are responsible for promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education, including continuing professional development (CPD), to ensure that students, newly qualified professionals and the existing work force are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.
	Regulatory bodies set standards for CPD and it is the individual healthcare professional's responsibility to ensure that their CPD is up-to-date in their particular field.
	The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and work force development in the national health service. HEE will work with stakeholders to influence training curricula as appropriate.

NHS: Finance

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for patient care and for innovation of the overspend in NHS England's specialised commissioning budget for 2013-14.

Jane Ellison: In April 2013, NHS England became the direct commissioner of specialised services. In order to achieve a nationally consistent approach to commissioning, it brought together differing regional and local approaches to contracting with providers, different sets of standards, and varying levels of access to services around the country.
	NHS England projects an overspend on specialised services of £228 million for 2013-14; this represents 1.7% of the total value of the budget. It reports that the 10 area teams with responsibility for commissioning specialised services are developing financial recovery plans. It has established a Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group to assure the NHS England Board that financial recovery plans are robust and minimise the impact on patient care.
	NHS England is encouraging innovation through a number of avenues, for example: the development of a procurement framework that will seek proposals from providers to deliver services in a more innovative way; through its Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention agenda; and through an invitation for stakeholders to submit ‘A3’ proposals, which use a ‘lean’ methodology to clearly and succinctly describe a change to a service, in line with the emerging Specialised Services Strategy.

Oesophageal Cancer

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he intends to take to raise awareness of oesophageal cancer.

Jane Ellison: Raising awareness of symptoms of cancers falls within the campaigns that are now the responsibility of Public Health England (PHE). Be Clear on Cancer public campaigns (encouraging symptom recognition and earlier general practitioner presentation) have been running since early 2011 and have covered a number of cancers nationally, regionally and locally; these include bowel, lung, kidney and bladder under the common symptom of “blood in pee”, breast, ovarian and oesophageal. Results to date have been very encouraging.
	PHE works, closely with the Department and NHS England to ensure that health care professionals are also targeted with campaign information to encourage earlier diagnoses and referrals.
	We are currently running a regional Be Clear on Cancer pilot campaign, from 10 February to 9 March in the North East and North Cumbria, to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of oesophageal cancer. The campaign includes television, radio, press and outdoor advertising. The findings of this pilot will be evaluated before a decision is taken on whether to roll out the campaign nationally throughout England.

Oesophageal Cancer

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the diagnosis and treatment of oesophageal cancer in (a) Hampshire and (b) England.

Jane Ellison: We are fully committed to improving early diagnosis and treatment of people with oesophageal cancer both nationally and locally.
	“Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published in January 2011, committed more than £450 million of additional funding up to 2014-15 to support earlier diagnosis of cancer by: improving public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer; increasing general practitioner access to key diagnostic tests; and, to pay for extra testing and treatment in secondary care.
	We are currently running a regional Be Clear on Cancer pilot campaign from 10 February to 9 March 2014 raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of oesophageal cancer in the North East and North Cumbria. The findings of this pilot will be evaluated before a decision is made on whether to roll out the campaign nationally throughout England.
	NHS England's oesophageal and gastric cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective oesophageal cancer services, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's clinical guideline; published in 2001; “Improving Outcomes for Upper Gastro-Intestinal Cancers”.

Out-patients: Attendance

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of patients failing to turn up for NHS appointments.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Constitution emphasises patients' responsibilities including making it clear that they “should keep appointments, or cancel within reasonable time”. It is the responsibility of national health service organisations locally to plan for and take action to minimise the number of patients who fail to attend their appointments, for example, by reminding patients of their forthcoming appointments through the use of text message reminder systems.

Perinatal Mortality

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many perinatal deaths occurred within the first week of birth; how many Apgar scores were recorded in respect of such cases; and in how many of these cases neonatal cooling treatment was undertaken in each year since 2008.

Daniel Poulter: In 2012 there were 3,558 stillbirths and 1,569 deaths at age under seven days, resulting in a perinatal mortality rate of 7.0 deaths per 1,000 total births. The figures for 2011 were 3,811 still births and 1,639 deaths at under seven days, resulting in a perinatal mortality rate of 7.6 deaths per 1,000 total births.
	The figures for Apgar scores and neonatal cooling treatment are not collected centrally.

Processed Food

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent representations his Department has made to the food and drink industry on reducing the levels of (a) sugar and (b) salt in processed foods;
	(2)  what recent representations his Department has made to the food and drink industry on reducing the levels of (a) sugar and (b) salt in processed foods.

Jane Ellison: Through the Public Health Responsibility Deal, the Department works with the food and drink industry to encourage them, amongst other things, to reduce salt and calories, including sugar, in the food they produce and retail. There are now 38 businesses signed up to the calorie reduction pledge, including some of our biggest soft drinks manufacturers and retailers who are reducing calories and sugars in their drinks.
	There is also a Responsibility Deal pledge to reduce salt. World Health Organization consider us to be world leading in salt reduction. 96 companies are working to reduce salt in the food they produce or retail, reflecting more than 70% of the retail market and 65% of major high street restaurants and contract caterers.
	Details of all ministerial meetings with external parties are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website. The latest publication can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-external-meetings-2012-to-2013?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Scarlet Fever

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of scarlet fever were treated by the NHS in each region in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England does not routinely collect data on scarlet fever treatment, however scarlet fever is a 'notifiable' disease which means that doctors in England and Wales have a legal obligation to inform the 'Proper Officer' of the local authority of suspected cases.
	The data in the following table shows the total number of scarlet fever notifications by region, as classified by the former Health Protection Agency, as at the time of notification. The data presented are the most recent annual data publication figures for Scarlet Fever notifications that are available by region1. Data for 2011 were published December 2013 and are available at:
	http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/NotificationsOfInfectiousDiseases/NOIDSReportsAndTables/NoidsAnnualReports/
	1Note:
	2012 annual data is available but aggregated for England and Wales only at this time.
	
		
			 Scarlet Fever notification data for the period 2007 to 2011 (calendar year) by region 
			  Calendar year 
			 Region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 East Midlands 160 190 258 280 262 
			 Eastern 131 158 266 245 276 
			 London 263 499 957 521 355 
			 North East 109 143 174 119 152 
			 North West 210 269 388 339 311 
			 South East 347 504 1021 473 517 
			 South West 156 246 288 306 257 
			 West Midlands 144 202 312 221 176 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 356 636 403 340 290 
			 Wales 72 73 109 125 123 
			 England 1,876 2,847 4,067 2,844 2,596

Specialised Healthcare Alliance

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on which NHS England committees or advisory groups the Specialised Healthcare Alliance (SHCA) sits; and who represents the SHCA on such committees or groups.

Jane Ellison: In April 2013, NHS England became the direct commissioner of specialised services. As part of its work, NHS England engages with a wide range of stakeholder organisations, including the Specialised Healthcare Alliance (SHCA).
	NHS England advises that the only committee on which the SHCA sit is the Patient and Public Voice Steering Group. John Murray, the Chair of the SHCA is the representative for this committee.

Surgical Dressings

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2014, Official Report, column 549W, on surgical dressings, whether wound dressings were provided free of charge for patients in post-operative care before clinical commission groups were established.

Norman Lamb: The prescription charging arrangements for the provision of surgical dressings for patients in post-operative care are the same as they were before clinical commissioning groups were established.
	The prescription charging arrangements in this area are complex and have evolved since prescription charges were reintroduced in 1968. In some instances dressings will be supplied free of charge, for example where:
	in-patients are provided with dressings or bandages upon discharge from hospital;
	dressings or bandages are taken from stock and applied at the general practitioner surgery by the doctor or a practice nurse operating under his or her instruction; and
	dressings or bandages are supplied for personal administration by the person making the supply in accordance with a patient group direction.
	However, in other circumstances, charges may apply including where:
	someone is an outpatient or is attending a walk-in-centre, unless the dressings or bandages are administered on the premises; and
	the dressings are prescribed, in order that they may be applied by the patient, carer or community nurse.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps his Department takes to check that claimants in receipt of attendance allowance are still eligible to receive this benefit once they move into residential care;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the numbers of elderly people who have ceased receiving attendance allowance because they are in receipt of welfare payments.

Michael Penning: Entitlement to, and payment of, attendance allowance (AA) is unaffected by the receipt of other social security benefits. Claimants in receipt of AA who enter residential care and receive public or local funding under specified enactments towards their stay lose payment of the benefit after 28 days so as to prevent the duplication of funding to meet the same needs. Care home residents who claim AA when already in a care home and are receiving public or local funding towards their stay can establish entitlement to AA but cannot be paid it until they leave the care home. Care home residents continue to be paid AA if they are entirely funding their stay from their own funds or are treated as such because they are receiving funding, in whole or in part, from another person or charity.
	Claimants or individuals who are either appointed by the Secretary of State or empowered by the courts to act on the claimant's behalf for benefit purposes, have a duty to disclose any admission to residential accommodation. In addition, all decision notifications and annual uprating letters direct claimants to notify the Department of a move into residential care.
	On receipt of this information, the Department will determine whether claimants remain eligible to receive attendance allowance.
	As at the end of May 2013 there were 75,8001 AA claimants resident in a care home who have entitlement to AA but are not being paid it because of these rules.
	1Source:
	DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data. Figure is rounded to the nearest 10.

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department and (b) each of his Departments (i) non-departmental public bodies and (ii) executive agencies in each year since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 (a) The amount spent on external consultants and advisers by DWP in each year since May 2009 
			 Financial year ending: £ 
			 April 2010 40,129,802 
			 April 2011 18,286,484 
			 April 2012 5,579,501 
			 April 2013 11,693,869 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) (i) The amount spent by non-departmental public bodies 
			 Financial year ending: £ 
			 The Independent Living Fund 10 
			   
			 The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS)  
			 April 2011 118,215 
			 April 2012 91,679 
			 April 2013 126,884 
			   
			 The Pensions Regulator (TPR)  
			 April 2011 184,346 
			 April 2012 94,000 
			 April 2013 1,023,063 
			   
			 Pensions Ombudsman (PO)  
			 April 2011 0 
			 April 2012 29,040 
			 April 2013 119,439 
			 1 Nil spend during period May 2010 to April 2013 
		
	
	
		
			 (ii) The amount spent by executive agencies 
			 Financial year ending: £ 
			 Health and Safety Executive  
			 April 2011 191,376 
			 April 2012 458,979 
			 April 2013 106,137

Employment and Support Allowance

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the evidence based review of descriptors for employment and support allowance to be published.

Michael Penning: The findings of the evidence based review of the work capability assessment were published on 12 December 2013 and can be found online at the following address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-evidence-based-review
	Government will respond to the findings of the evidence based review as part of its response to Dr Litchfield's independent review of the work capability assessment in the first quarter of 2014.

ICT

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last four years have been abandoned; and what the monetary value was of each such contract.

Michael Penning: The only IT contract cancelled in the last four years was the Desktop Services Contract with Fujitsu, which was cancelled in March 2011. The contract value was in excess of £300 million.

Industrial Health and Safety: Temperature

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, column 489W, on industrial health and safety: temperature, what steps he has taken to clarify with the Health and Safety Executive what level of temperature in the workplace would exceed that considered reasonable.

Michael Penning: HSE does not specify a level of temperature in the workplace that would exceed that considered reasonable. It would not be appropriate to give a single maximum figure as it depends on the work activity and the environmental conditions of the work place.

Legal Costs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) cost and (b) purpose was of legal (i) representation and (ii) advice sought by his Department and its executive agencies in each year since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The Department's records of legal spend do not separate legal representation and legal advice. Disaggregating the data would take the cost of responding to the question over the disproportionate cost threshold.
	Our records of legal spend do not contain details of the purpose of each item of legal spend. Each invoice would have to be separately analysed to establish the matter concerned and then further analysed to establish the purpose. This would take the cost of responding to the question over the disproportionate cost threshold.

Pensioners: Poverty

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what comparative assessment he has made of the incidence of poverty among (a) single women pensioners and (b) other pensioners.

Steve Webb: Table 1 provides estimates for the number and proportion of pensioners in both relative and absolute low income, broken down by family type. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data for 2011-12, the latest year available.
	Someone is considered to be in relative low income if they receive less than 60% of the median income in the year in question, while someone is considered to be in absolute low income if they receive less than 60% of median income in 2010-11 adjusted by inflation.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number and percentage of pensioners in relative and absolute low income after housing costs in the United Kingdom, by family type, 2011-12 
			   Relative low income Absolute low income 
			 Family Type Total population Number (million) Number (million) Percentage Number (million) Percentage 
			 Single female pensioner 3.3 0.6 17 0.6 20 
			 All other pensioners 8.4 1.0 12 1.2 14 
			 Of which:      
			 Pensioner couple 7.1 0.8 11 0.9 13 
			 Single male Pensioner 1.2 0.2 16 0.2 18 
			 All pensioners 11.7 1.6 14 1.8 15 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2011-12 Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer this question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 pensioners and percentages to the nearest whole percentage point. Numbers given are for individual pensioners and therefore couples will all, by definition, contain two individuals. 4. The preferred measure of low income for pensioners is based on incomes measured After Housing Costs, as around three quarters of pensioners own their own home. Considering pensioners' incomes compared to others after deducting housing costs allows for more meaningful comparisons of income between working-age people and pensioners, and for pensioners over time. 5. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 6. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. 7. In Households Below Average Income, a household is defined as a single person or group of people living at the same address as their only or main residence, who either share one meal together or share the living accommodation. This differs from a benefit unit (family), which is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple, plus any dependent children. From January 2006 same-sex partners (civil partners and cohabitees) are also included in the same benefit unit. A household will consist of one or more benefit units. This means that for the figures above there may be more than one family within each household. 8. Figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: HBAI 2011-12

Public Relations

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department to firms in each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK in each of the last four years.

Michael Penning: Public opinion research is often carried out as part of a wide range of research and evaluation activity. As such, information on the value of contracts awarded for public opinion research could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	As a result of spending controls put in place in April 2011 no further for public relations contracts have been awarded.

Social Security Benefits: Brent

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households have had their benefits reduced as a result of the household benefit cap in (a) the London Borough of Brent and (b) Brent Central constituency.

Esther McVey: Between July 2013, when the benefit cap was implemented in Brent, and December 2013 1,386 households in the London borough of Brent had their benefits reduced as a result of the benefit cap. Statistics for the Brent Central parliamentary constituency are not currently available. There are plans to publish parliamentary constituency level statistics in May 2014.

Stress

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of working days lost by his Department's staff was attributed to stress-related conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: DWP has succeeded in cutting sickness absence from an annual average of 11.1 days per employee in 2007 to 7.1 days per employee currently. Less than 1% is attributed to stress-related conditions.
	In the 12 month period January to December 2013, 23% of working days lost by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff was attributed to depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, which includes stress-related absences. This represents less than 1% of total working days available to the Department.

Vacancies: Greater London

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of job vacancies in each sector in London.

Esther McVey: Headline figures on the number of unfilled vacancies at a point in time are published by the Office for National Statistics, based on a regular survey of employers. The sample size of the survey is, however, too small to allow information to be published below national level.

Vacancies: Greater London

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of job vacancies in London in the (a) hospitality, (b) care and (c) cleaning sectors in (i) 2003, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2013.

Esther McVey: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 Vacancies—notified by occupation: Region—London 
			  Hospitality Care Cleaning 
			 2003 31,648 9,031 14,022 
		
	
	
		
			 2007 23,185 16,810 15,906 
			 2010 16,847 20,011 13,904 
			 Notes: 1. Changes to Jobcentre Plus vacancy handling procedures have lead to a major discontinuity in the vacancy statistic pre- and post-May 2006. See: http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/articles/177.aspx#may06 before comparing data over this period. 2. Interpretation of these data needs to take account of changes in recent years to Jobcentre Plus procedures for taking and handling vacancies. These figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market. A more detailed explanation is available on the Nomis web site. Source: ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [from Nomis on 13 February 2014] 
		
	
	
		
			 Month end (2013) Hospitality Care Cleaning 
			 31 January 936 2,116 1,070 
			 28 February 1,121 2,238 1,478 
			 31 March 1,008 3,011 938 
			 30 April 2,668 2,958 888 
			 31 May 3,032 3,499 922 
			 30 June 1,347 3,921 444 
			 31 July 1,474 3,091 999 
			 31 August 1,263 2,480 1,099 
			 30 September 1,551 2,523 663 
			 31 October 1,962 3,176 851 
			 30 November 1,638 2,667 867 
			 31 December 1,044 3,047 656 
			 Note: The Universal Jobmatch (UJ) system was introduced in November 2012. These data are a snapshot in time at month end and due to the way the UJ system calculates vacancies, the data cannot be summed for the year. The occupations used in Nomis data do not directly map with the Employer Sectors used in the UJ data.

Vacancies: Greater London

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the structural vacancy rate in London.

Esther McVey: The information is not available. The Office for National Statistics publishes headline statistics on vacancies, but the figures are not available below national level.

Welsh Language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of services carried out by his Department in Wales in relation to the Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Welsh Language Standards.

Esther McVey: This Government is fully committed to the Welsh language and to providing Government services in the Welsh language where there is demand for them. The Department for Work and Pension's Welsh Language Scheme was published in 2010 and sets out how services will be delivered to Welsh speakers who request a Welsh language service.
	Delivery against the scheme is reviewed annually and reported to the Welsh Language Commissioner.

Work Capability Assessments

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been received about work capability assessments made by Atos in each of the last two years.

Michael Penning: The Department does not centrally record the number of complaints received in relation to its medical services contract with Atos Healthcare, which includes the delivery of work capability assessments in Great Britain. However, the Department does hold information reported by Atos on the number of complaints received in relation to this contract. In the 2012-13 financial year and 2013-14 financial year (to date), 4,890 and 3,770 complaints were reported. These figures come from Atos management information and have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	The Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland has a separate contract with Atos Healthcare for the delivery of assessments in Northern Ireland. Therefore, questions relating to complaints received in Northern Ireland should be addressed to the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland.

Work Capability Assessments

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Atos has been paid to conduct work capability assessments in (a) the UK and (b) Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.

Michael Penning: The information is as follows:
	(a) Atos Healthcare has been paid £112.4 million for the 2011-12 financial year and £114.3 million for 2012-13. These figures cover the direct cost of delivering work capability assessments, the medical assessments undertaken for other benefits, costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements. These costs are for the medical services contract for Great Britain only and not the UK which includes Northern Ireland. There are separate contracts for the provision of personal independence payment assessments.
	(b) The Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland has a separate contract with Atos Healthcare for the delivery of Medical Support Services in Northern Ireland.

Work Capability Assessments

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of work capability assessments carried out by Atos in each of the last two years resulted in claimants being deemed fit for work;
	(2)  what proportion of people who have been deemed fit for work in work capability assessments conducted by Atos have succeeded in having the decision overturned at appeal in each of the last two years.

Michael Penning: The information requested in relation to employment and support allowance, outcomes of work capability assessments and the proportion of fit for work decisions overturned following appeal can be found in table 1a and table 3 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/statistics

JUSTICE

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which buildings occupied by his Department are owned or part-owned privately; what the total value is of the rent paid to private landlords for the use of such buildings for official duties; and to whom such rent is paid.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice estate is a combination of freehold and leasehold premises of which over 500 properties are held on a leasehold/licence basis. Details of the Government Central Civil Estate, such as the address and whether the property is held on a leasehold/licence basis are recorded on the Central Government property database, Epims. These records are available via the following link:
	www.data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
	The Ministry of Justice is constantly seeking ways of reducing its rental liability. It has secured these reductions both via an active programme of estate rationalisation and ensuring that when lease rent reviews occur these are vigorously contested and nil or minimal increases are agreed.

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on the enquiry by Judge Macur into the Waterhouse (North Wales Tribunal) enquiry; and when this report is planned to be released.

Simon Hughes: I would refer to the answer I gave on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 458W.

Criminal Investigation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisation his Department and its subsidiary bodies use to tackle internal instances of crime, including corruption and fraud; and whether he has designated this organisation or any individual within it to grant authorisation for carrying out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Damian Green: There are dedicated teams across the Ministry for identifying and investigating suspected fraud. However, all suspected incidents of crime, including fraud and corruption across the Ministry and its subsidiary bodies would be referred to the police, in accordance with the departmental anti-fraud policy.
	The National Offender Management Service has in place a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Association of Chief Police Officers for the investigation of staff corruption in prisons. The MoU gives primacy to the police to investigate instances of corruption in prisons where the criminal threshold is reached.
	The National Offender Management Service is the only part of the Ministry that holds powers under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. Should NOMS exercise these powers, all authorisations would be granted by a NOMS employee. No person or organisation outside of NOMS is able to grant such authorisations on NOMS' behalf.

Criminal Proceedings: Veterans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library the terms of reference for the review by the hon. Member for Penrith and The Border of veterans in the criminal justice system.

Damian Green: I set out the terms of reference during debates of the Offender Rehabilitation Bill before the House on 14 January. These were to:
	consider the rehabilitative needs of ex-service personnel convicted of criminal offences and sentenced to a custodial or community sentence, and the current rehabilitation available to them;
	consider the process whereby ex-service personnel are identified following conviction;
	consider best practice relating to the rehabilitation of ex-service personnel offenders, including evidence of effective interventions in other countries;
	consult with the cross-Government military reference group; and to
	report to the Secretary of State within six months.
	I will place a full copy of the terms of reference in both House Libraries shortly.

Dangerous Driving: Convictions

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of death by dangerous driving in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Green: Severe maximum penalties are available for serious driving offences. The maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving is 14 years imprisonment. The overwhelming majority of those convicted of this offence receive long custodial sentences.
	The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has asked the Sentencing Council to look at their guidelines on causing death by driving to ensure that sentences imposed reflect the seriousness of the offending and they have agreed to include this in their work plan.
	The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for 'causing death by dangerous driving' under the Road Traffic Act in England and Wales, from 2003 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the table.
	The proportion of offenders given custody for this offence has increased since 2010.
	
		
			 Offenders found guilty at all courts for 'causing death by dangerous driving', England and Wales, 2003-121,2 
			 Statute Offence 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 as amended by Road Traffic Act 1991 and Criminal Justice Act 2003 S.1 Causing death by dangerous driving (Disqualification obligatory) 233 241 255 223 233 221 225 154 114 116 
			 1 The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Direct Selling: Prosecutions

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions were brought under the Data Protection Act 1998 in relation to unsolicited telephone calls in each of the last five years.

Simon Hughes: No prosecutions have been brought under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) in relation to unsolicited phone calls in the last five years. However, since 2010 the Government has increased the level of penalties that can be levied against those breaking the law. In 2010 the maximum penalty that Ofcom could issue for silent and abandoned calls was increased from £50,000 to £2 Million. Similarly, in May 2011 a maximum penalty of £500,000 was introduced to allow the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to issue higher penalties in relation to unsolicited calls and texts under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation 2003 (PECR). Since January 2012, £2.54 million of penalties have been issued by Ofcom and the ICO.
	The Government takes the problem of unsolicited telephone calls and text messages very seriously and are working closely with the relevant regulators, including Ofcom and the ICO to deal effectively with the root causes of these calls and those organisations that break the law. We will publish an action plan in the coming weeks that will set out current and further plans in this area.

Human Trafficking

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will amend the terms of his contract with the Salvation Army to require that body to record information on the location of victims of human trafficking once they have exited its shelters; and if his Department will make an assessment of the ways in which human trafficking victims are recorded in this country.

Damian Green: Since 1 July 2011 the Salvation Army has been contracted to provide support and assistance to adult victims of human trafficking for a minimum of 45 days or until a victims receives a 'Conclusive Grounds' decision. Under the terms of their contract with the Ministry of Justice, the Salvation Army is not required to maintain contact nor record information on the location of victims once they have exited contract services. However TSA and its sub-contractors work closely with a range of other partners to ensure that victims continue to receive support if it is needed.

Medicine: Research

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the potential effect of the proposed General European Data Protection Regulation on medical research.

Simon Hughes: There have been no specific discussions between Justice and Health Ministers on the potential effect of the proposed EU General Data Protection Regulation on medical research. However, officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health have jointly held extensive discussions with representatives from the research community about the processing of personal data for medical research purposes under the proposed regulation.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria he plans to use to award Transforming Rehabilitation contracts in respect of women's services.

Jeremy Wright: The Offender Rehabilitation Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes that current supervision and activity requirements are both replaced with a single rehabilitation activity requirement to allow probation providers to determine which appointments or activities offenders should take part in.
	A specific amendment has been made to the Bill in relation to female offenders. This requires the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), to make sure that, in making arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders, he has complied with the public sector duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 as it relates to female offenders.
	Arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders must also identify provision required to meet the particular needs of female offenders. The amendment applies both to contracts with Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and services provided by the National Probation Service. We have also developed guidance so that future probation providers fully understand the particular needs of female offenders and how to respond to them.
	Bidders for the CRC contracts will be expected to demonstrate an effective approach to the identification and recognition of women's needs, (as well as protected characteristics), to make sure that individual needs are properly addressed.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria will be used to award transforming rehabilitation contracts in respect of women's services.

Simon Hughes: The Offender Rehabilitation Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes that current supervision and activity requirements are both replaced with a single rehabilitation activity requirement to allow probation providers to determine which appointments or activities offenders should take part in.
	A specific amendment has been made to the Bill in relation to female offenders. This requires the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), to make sure that, in making arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders, he has complied with the public sector duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 as it relates to female offenders. Arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders must also identify provision required to meet the particular needs of female offenders. The amendment applies both to contracts with Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and services provided by the National Probation Service. We have also developed guidance so that future probation providers fully understand the particular needs of female offenders and how to respond to them.
	Bidders for the CRC contracts will be expected to demonstrate an effective approach to the identification and recognition of women's needs, to make sure that individual needs are properly addressed.

Office of the Public Guardian

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how staff were recruited to the Office of the Public Guardian Investigations Unit in each of the last four years.

Simon Hughes: The Public Guardian has statutory authority to investigate complaints, or allegations of abuse, made against deputies or attorneys acting under registered powers. The Compliance Unit deals with complex cases and, in particular investigations into concerns about deputies and attorneys. The Investigation Unit is embedded within the Compliance Unit and plays an important role in safeguarding clients from abuse.
	The figures requested can be found as follows. The high level of staff recruited in 2011 was caused by moving operations from the Office of the Public Guardian's (OPG) London office to its Birmingham office. There was a corresponding decrease in staff employed in London.
	
		
			  Staff recruited 
			 2010 12 
			 2011 36 
			 2012 5 
			 2013 11

Prison Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) male and (b) female prison officers have been convicted of (i) any criminal offence and (ii) a criminal offence relating to their role as a prison officer by offence type in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prison officers have been the subject of internal disciplinary action in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The information is as follows:
	(1) The number of (a) male and (b) female prison officers that have been convicted of (i) any criminal offence in the last five years is:
	
		
			 Completed disciplinary cases where charge was criminal conviction 
			  Male Female 
			 2009 23 5 
			 2010 20 5 
			 2011 23 1 
			 2012 21 6 
			 2013 12 5 
			 Overall total 99 22 
		
	
	This information has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Shared Services Conduct and Discipline database.
	A search was carried out under the category 'Criminal Conviction' from the database, relates only to prison officers and is over the last five years.
	Please also note that the above figures are heavily reliant on prison officers notifying their line manager when a conviction is received. Prison officers have a contractual obligation to notify their employer if they receive a non work related conviction outside of the workplace.
	With regard to the number of (a) male and (b) female prison officers that have been convicted of (ii) a criminal offence relating to their role as a prison officer by offence type in each of the last five years, the information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of (a) male and (b) female prison officers have been the subject of internal disciplinary action in each of the last five years is:
	
		
			 All completed disciplinary cases-prison officer/band 3 PO 
			  Male Female 
			 2009 307 64 
			 2010 321 67 
			 2011 360 76 
			 2012 359 72 
			 2013 329 72

Prisoners: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what projections his Department has made of the female prison population over the next five years.

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice publishes Prison Population Projections on an annual basis. Each publication looks at the projected populations of men's and women's prisons for the following six years. The latest projection was published on 7 November 2013. The following table has been extracted from it and shows the prison population projections for females aged 18 and over up to June 2019. The scenarios track the impact of three different sentencing trends on custodial convictions, custodial sentence length and hence on the resulting prison population.
	
		
			 Sentencing scenarios 
			 As at June each year: Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3 
			 2014 3,700 3,700 3,800 
			 2015 3,500 3,600 3,700 
			 2016 3,400 3,500 3,600 
			 2017 3,400 3,500 3,700 
			 2018 3,400 3,500 3,700 
			 2019 3,400 3,500 3,700

Prisons: Mother and Baby Units

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many inmates applied for a place in a mother and baby unit in the custodial estate in England and Wales in each year since 2010;
	(2)  how many applications for a place in a mother and baby unit in the custodial estate in England and Wales were (a) accepted and (b) refused in each year between 2010 and 2013.

Simon Hughes: The information requested is set out in the following table for the last three financial years.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Number of applications received for admission to mother and baby units 256 254 221 
			 Number of applications approved 139 121 120 
			 Number of applications refused 26 34 33 
		
	
	No applications were refused for reasons of space.

Reoffenders: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the closure of open women's prisons on reoffending rates.

Simon Hughes: The National Offender Management Service's Women's Custodial Estate Review was commissioned to consider where improvements could be made to: improve female prisoners proximity to their home; improve their ability to access interventions to reduce reoffending; and to guarantee that women had improved access to resettlement opportunities on release as part of the Transforming Rehabilitation programme. Research findings suggest that prisoners view contact with families and children during imprisonment, as well as having a job on release, as important for reducing their reoffending.
	The report, published in October 2013, made a range of recommendations that included increasing closeness to home for those currently held in the open estate and providing all female prisoners with access to employment regimes that will aim to get them into jobs on release through improved skills and local contacts. We are also introducing a slightly different operating model for women's prisons under the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. The operating model for women's prisons will allow multiple providers access to most establishments. The majority of female prisoners will be provided with resettlement services by the same provider who will also provide statutory rehabilitation support upon release.

Sexual Offences: Rights of Accused

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he is considering any changes to the requirement for anonymity of people accused of sexual offences before and during trials.

Damian Green: The Government currently has no plans to legislate for anonymity for suspects or defendants.

Squatting

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the potential merits of making squatting in commercial buildings a criminal offence.

Damian Green: We have received several letters from MPs and members of the public about this issue. Some have described the financial impact that squatting can have on commercial property owners, including the costs they might incur through loss of revenue, legal fees and building repairs. Others have expressed concern about the impact criminalisation could have on people who squat in dilapidated commercial buildings to avoid rough sleeping. We are considering these issues carefully and have not made any final decisions about whether to criminalise squatting in commercial buildings.

Witnesses

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many requests were made for each age group of vulnerable witnesses for registered intermediaries by (a) the police, (b) the Crown Prosecution Service, (c) courts, (d) solicitors and (e) other groups in each year since 2010;
	(2)  how many requests were made for registered intermediaries in each year since 2010.

Damian Green: The data in the following table provide the requested information. Only the police, CPS, courts and solicitors may request a registered intermediary.
	
		
			  Age  
			  0 to4 5 to 11 12 to 17 18+ 65+ Annual total 
			 2010       
			 Police 81 141 173 496 49 — 
			 CPS 4 37 46 125 5 — 
			 Courts I I 0 3 0 — 
			 Solicitor 0 0 15 29 0 — 
			 Total 86 179 234 653 54 1,206 
			        
			 2011       
			 Police 86 124 176 481 53 — 
			 CPS 3 31 48 153 13 — 
			 Courts 0 0 1 6 0 — 
			 Solicitor 0 0 12 42 1 — 
			 Total 89 155 237 682 67 1,230 
			        
			 2012       
			 Police 123 213 190 529 72 — 
			 CPS 5 50 53 182 10 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Courts 0 0 0 3 0 — 
			 Solicitor 0 1 0 1 0 — 
			 Total 128 264 243 715 82 1,432 
			        
			 2013       
			 Police 201 256 231 570 50 — 
			 CPS 12 113 89 249 16 — 
			 Courts 0 0 0 0 0 — 
			 Solicitor 0 0 0 4 0 — 
			 Total 213 374 320 823 66 1,796

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the total value of bus service operator grant that will be devolved to local authorities outside London during (a) 2014 and (b) financial years (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15, (iii) 2015-16 and (iv) 2016-17;
	(2)  what the current total value is of bus service operator grant that has been devolved to local authorities outside London from 1 January 2014 to date.

Stephen Hammond: A total of £13.682 million was devolved to local authorities between October 2013 and January 2014, covering the financial year 2013-14. Our current estimate is that we expect to be able to devolve a further £46.794 million to local authorities for 2014-15 and £49.169 million for 2015-16. The devolved figures are based on financial years, and we are not making a separate payment for the 2014 calendar year.
	The figures are made up of three elements:
	(i) funding previously paid to bus operators for running services under tender to local authorities;
	(ii) funding previously paid to local authorities for running community transport services in-house;
	(iii) Bus Service Operators Grant funding and "top-up" payments for those authorities which have been designated as Better Bus Areas.
	However, these figures are subject to future spending decisions. Figures for 2016-17 onwards will be a matter for the next spending review.

Cycling

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Cycle Racing on the Highway Regulations 1960.

Robert Goodwill: The Department is currently considering updates to the Cycle Racing on Highways Regulations (1960) proposed as part of the Government's Red Tape Challenge. The consultation on proposed changes closed in October 2013, and legislative proposals will be brought forward once responses have been fully considered.

Driving: Licensing

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet Google to discuss copycat websites which charge for driving licence renewals.

Stephen Hammond: Cabinet Office Government Digital Service (GDS) is leading a cross-Government exercise to gather information about the operation of third-party websites which offer services associated with official Government transactions, including driving licence applications.
	The Minister for Civil Society, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), and the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), are meeting with Google shortly to discuss its terms and conditions for advertising the services offered by these third party web sites. GDS will also engage with other internet search engine providers about this issue.

First Capital Connect

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) net franchise payment and (b) revenue support sums are for the extension of First Capital Connect's Thameslink franchise from 31 March to 14 September 2014.

Stephen Hammond: Contracted premium—which is the sum paid by the franchisee to the Department—for the interim franchise agreement is circa £80 million Subsidy and premium payments are published regularly on the Office of Rail Regulation website.
	There is no revenue support mechanism in the new contract.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the report to the Government setting out the results of the Phase Two consultation on High Speed 2 is published.

Robert Goodwill: In line with previous consultations on HS2, HS2 Ltd will publish a report summarising the responses received to the consultation as part of the advice to the Secretary of State in taking his decision. The decision on Phase Two of HS2 is due to be taken by the end of the year.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on High Speed 2 from each local authority in Yorkshire.

Robert Goodwill: Since the publication of the initial preferred route for Phase Two of HS2 in January 2013, the Secretary of State has met with representatives from Sheffield, Leeds, Wakefield and York city councils.
	The consultation on the Phase Two route concluded at the end of January and, to date, we have received response from Barnsley metropolitan borough council, city of Bradford metropolitan borough council, Doncaster metropolitan borough council, Leeds city council, Rotherham metropolitan borough council, Sheffield city council, Wakefield council, York city council and North Yorkshire county council.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish the jobs and skills strategy for the UK workforce by HS2 Ltd.

Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd is conducting research into the skills picture across the UK work force and the demand which the construction of HS2 will bring. This work will inform the HS2 Ltd skills strategy which is currently under development. We expect it to be set out in more detail in the latter part of 2014.

London Midland

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the London Midland franchise.

Stephen Hammond: The franchise agreement between the Government and each individual train operator includes contractual benchmarks in key performance areas. The Department monitors each train operator's overall performance against these areas and there are clear actions set out in the franchise agreement should performance drop below what is expected. This regular monitoring includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.
	At present London Midland are assessed as being within their contracted performance benchmarks as set out in the franchise agreement.

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of his Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of his Department's Ministers.

Stephen Hammond: The following table reflects the size in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of the Department's Ministers:
	
		
			 Minister Private office Outer office 
			 Secretary of State-Rt. Hon. Patrick McLoughlin MP 66 58 
			 Minister of State-Baroness Kramer 54 63 
			 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State-Stephen Hammond MP 47 47 
			 Parliamentary Under Secretary of State-Robert Goodwill MP 59 39 
		
	
	Each Department for Transport Minister has five or fewer officials working directly for them in their private offices, and to protect individual privacy these numbers have not been disclosed.

Motor Sports

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to review the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 relating to the holding of motor vehicle races on public roads.

Robert Goodwill: We are reviewing the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 relating to the holding of motor vehicle races on public roads in close partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). DCMS plan to hold a public consultation in the near future.

Motorcycles

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make if his policy not to increase the requirements of roadworthiness testing of powered two-wheelers; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has no plans to increase roadworthiness test requirements for two wheeled motor vehicles.

Motorway Service Areas: Alcoholic Drinks

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Highways Agency was consulted on the decision to allow the sale and consumption of alcohol in motorway service areas.

Robert Goodwill: As a government agency, it is not appropriate for the Highways Agency to formally respond to the consultation. The agency helped the Home Office to develop the impact assessment published alongside their consultation and will continue to work together with the Home Office and other partners in agreeing a way forward.

Oxford-Hereford Railway Line

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the reliability and punctuality of passenger services on the North Cotswold Line; and if he will instruct First Great Western to commence publishing this information separately in its Passenger Charter figures.

Stephen Hammond: The doubling of the North Cotswold line has delivered six additional services and has reduced journey times by up to 10 minutes.
	The Moving Annual Average Public Performance Measure is currently 81.96%. This reflects the very difficult problems caused by the recent severe weather, in particular the flooding at Hinksey near Oxford.
	We have no plans at this time to ask any train operator to publish such information separately in its Passenger Charter figures.

Public Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of public transport.

Stephen Hammond: The fares that passengers pay are crucial to funding bus and rail operations. In rail, they contribute towards the major investment programme we are undertaking. The Government recognises passengers' concerns about the impact of fares on household budgets, which is why for the first time in a decade average regulated rail fares have been capped at inflation.
	Bus services outside London are deregulated and fares are mainly a matter for the commercial judgment of bus operators. However, the Government has made a commitment to retain the current Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) rate for the remainder of this Parliament. The subsidy means that bus operators' net fuel costs are around 40% lower which can enable operators to keep bus fares approximately 4% lower than they otherwise would be.
	In addition, we have frozen the fuel duty rate until May 2015. The rate was due to increase by an expected 1.61 pence per litre fuel in September this year. However, as a result of this measure, operating costs for public transport can now be kept lower than they otherwise would have been.
	Government has also maintained free bus travel in England for eligible older and disabled people. In 2012-13 there were 9.7 million bus passes in circulation with an average of 105 trips being made per pass each year.

Public Transport: Visual Impairment

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to make travel easier for those with sight loss; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is committed to removing the barriers to travel for all passengers, including those with visual impairments and reduced mobility. We are working with the transport industry to deliver a range of initiatives to provide a more accessible and fair transport system, including setting deadlines for accessible buses and trains, and improving the numbers of transport staff who have received disability awareness training.
	Our commitments have been published in the Department's Accessibility Action Plan, which is available on the Department's website:
	www.dft.gov.uk

Railways: Franchises

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received over customer service levels on the (a) First Capital Connect Great Northern service and (b) Hertford Loop; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has received no recent correspondence specifically on this matter, although it has been the subject of recent parliamentary debate, at which a number of representations were raised, as well as a number of subsequent parliamentary questions.

Roads: Weather

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the Highways Agency's budget has been spent on (a) each scheme aimed at improving weather resilience and (b) each scheme responding to additional pressures on roads as a result of climate change in each of the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: The strategic road network has proved to be very resilient during the recent period of unprecedented weather. There have been very few closures over this current winter, showing that there is a proportionate level of resilience built into the network. This is due to network design standards that provide appropriate resilience for severe weather events together with ongoing cyclical investment to maintain network condition. The agency also takes proactive action to mitigate the impacts of severe weather events and maintain resilience, for example by closing temporarily some bridges to help avoid high-sided vehicles being blown over.
	For the years in which figures are available, the agency has allocated the following capital funding for schemes predominantly classed as drainage or geotechnical (ground) works.
	
		
			  Drainage (£) Geo-Technical (£) Percentage of total maintenance budget (Capital and Resource) 
			 2011-12 28,441,771 19,090,146 5.71 
			 2012-13 34,307,199 15,018,538 6:53 
			 2013-14 60,001,244 31,193,573 13.55 
			 2014-151 60,905,576 32,414,942 14.08 
			 1Proposed allocations 
		
	
	In addition to these specific investments, other improvement and renewal schemes also include elements which enhance network resilience, but the spend on these is not available in the format requested. The agency's maintenance contracts also include requirements for service providers to inspect and clear drains on a regular basis as part of their range of general maintenance duties; the cost of this is not included in the above figures.
	The agency has invested over £45 million in renewing its fleet of winter service vehicles between 2008 and 2010 and typically spends around £20 million a year providing routine winter services including salt treatments etc.
	Within the Highways Agency, climate change is identified as a priority risk and one that is central to organisational planning. The agency updated its drainage design standards in 2006 to accommodate the recommended allowance for climate change (20% increase in rainfall intensities). Since 2006, all new drainage systems have been designed to this standard. Design standards have recently been updated further to incorporate new design requirements agreed with DEFRA in support of the National Sustainable Drainage Systems Standards that are a requirement of the Floods and Water Management Act 2010. These will be published in the near future.

Staff

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reduce staff numbers in his Department commensurately with the delegation of decision-making to a local level; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Since 2010 the number of permanent full-time equivalent staff in the Department for Transport and its agencies has been reduced by 14.7% (by January 2014).
	The Department supports the delegation of decision-making to the local level across a range of transport issues. However, decisions on staffing levels take account of various financial and operational issues and it is not possible to disaggregate changes in staff numbers according to the policy on localism.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Business: Human Rights

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Energy Industries Council on the UK Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not had any recent discussions with the Energy Industries Council on the UK Action Plan. The UK was the first country to produce an Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights, which were endorsed by the Human Rights Council in 2011. The Action Plan embodies our commitment to protect human rights by helping UK companies understand and manage human rights.
	The Government places great importance on communicating its Human Rights message to companies, and shall continue to alert business people to the human rights situations relevant to the countries in which they do, or hope to do, business, for example through the Overseas Business Risk website or when undertaking trade missions.

Indonesia

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the prevalance of religious persecution in Indonesia; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: Indonesia has a strong tradition of religious diversity and tolerance. However, in recent years there has been a rise in localised instances of interreligious conflict, including hostility towards the Ahmadiyya, Christian and Shi'a communities, and examples where the rights of religious minority groups have not been protected. The central Government and law enforcement response has at times been weak and even overruled at the local level. We are also concerned that some local bylaws abrogate the rights of women and religious minority groups.
	Our embassy in Jakarta continues to monitor freedom of religious belief in Indonesia and engages with the government of Indonesia on our concerns. Our ambassador has discussed these issues with the Minister of Religious Affairs as well as Indonesian civil society and religious leaders. Religious freedom continues to be a focus at the annual EU-Indonesia Human Rights Dialogue. We will continue to press the Indonesian Government and law enforcement agencies to uphold Indonesia's constitutional right to religious freedom, including ensuring that laws and regulations at all levels provide protection for minority faiths.

Israel

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on Israel meeting its obligations under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access.

Hugh Robertson: We continue to press Israel to ease its restrictions on Gaza, in line with the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv most recently raised this with the Israeli National Security Adviser on 13 February.

North Korea

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will place alleged crimes against humanity in North Korea on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council;
	(2)  if he will take steps to use the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council to extend the mandate for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea;
	(3)  if he will use the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council to extend the country-specific human rights monitoring and reporting mechanisms on North Korea and the periodic reports of the Secretary General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Hugo Swire: The Government is horrified by the reports of shocking state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
	I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 24 February 2014, Official Report, columns 6-7WS, which explains how we plan to respond.

North Korea

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with his Chinese counterpart.

Hugo Swire: The Government is horrified by the reports of shocking state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). As we have made clear in a written ministerial statement on 24 February 2014, Official Report, columns 6-7WS, we will work to ensure the UN Human Rights Council sends a strong message to the DPRK that there can be no impunity for human rights violators. China is a member of the Council and we expect them to participate in the discussion. We have also already raised the Commission of Inquiry's report with senior Chinese officials in Beijing.

Palestinians

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the consequences of Israel's blockade for Gaza.

Hugh Robertson: We assess that Israeli restrictions are damaging the economy of Gaza and the living standards of Palestinians. Together with our European partners, we continue to press the Israeli authorities to ease their restrictions on movement of goods and people. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns over Gaza with the Israeli National Security Advisor on 13 February.

Palestinians

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Israel on the treatment of Palestinian children; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We have made representations about the treatment of child detainees to the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including at Foreign Minister, Attorney General, Minister of Justice and National Security Adviser levels, Officials from our embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised the issue with the Israeli Defence Force on 25 February.

Syria

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the position of Syrian men of military age who are trapped in Homs and are seeking to escape; and what reports he has received on the presence of a route out from the conflict zone.

Hugh Robertson: We are extremely concerned about the fate of all those remaining in the Old City of Homs. Particularly the fate of the remaining men who left Homs and were detained by the Syrian regime. We will continue to press for urgent answers about what is happening to those who remain detained and urge the Assad regime to release them immediately. We remain in close touch with the UN agencies involved in the humanitarian effort in Homs. We have not received any reports of a route out from the conflict zone.

Syria

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the kidnap and alleged execution of the Jesuit Priest Father Paolo Dall'Oglio; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: We have heard conflicting information about the wellbeing of the Italian priest and peace activist Father Paulo Dall'Oglio who is believed to have been detained by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. We have grave concerns for the welfare of Father Paulo and all others, Syrian or international, who have been detained by the regime or by extremist groups.

Syria

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the group Open Doors on the current situation of Christians in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: On 10 December, the Senior Minister of State, my noble friend the right Hon. Baroness Warsi met with representatives of Open Doors to receive a petition expressing concern about the situation of Christians in Syria. My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the member for North East Bedfordshire, Mr Burt, had also met with them on 9 July 2013. The reporting and advocacy of groups like Open Doors provides a valuable contribution to public understanding and debate around the treatment of religious minorities in Syria and throughout the world. We, like Open Doors, are deeply concerned about the situation of Christians in Syria and expect to engage further in the future.

Syria

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of Christians who have fled Syria.

Hugh Robertson: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) do not publish a breakdown of refugee numbers by religion and we have no reliable alternative source. Almost 2.5 million Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries while 6.5 million are internally displaced. This means that well over a third of Syria's population have-been driven from their homes. The ongoing crisis has clearly had a devastating impact on Christians, and on all of Syria's communities. We believe that President Assad's actions include a deliberate attempt to stir up sectarian tensions in his effort to hold on to power. The National Coalition, who we recognise as the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, has responded to these reports, emphasising that they are contrary to the Coalition's vision of a future, pluralist Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Leader of the House what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to his Office's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of his Office's Ministers.

Andrew Lansley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Information on sizes of my ministerial office and the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons is as follows:
	Leader of the House of Commons: 39. 1m2
	Deputy Leader of the House of Commons: 43.5m2
	Information on Cabinet Office staffing is already available as part of published transparency data:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-30-september-2012--2

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 587, how many locally employed interpreters were employed by the government in Afghanistan in the last 10 years; how many such interpreters have come to the UK; how many such interpreters have been given (a)  a financial and resettlement package and (b) an intimidation package, in Afghanistan; and how many (i) applications and (ii) refusals have been made in each such case.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has employed around 2,770 locally employed interpreters since January 2004. No MOD interpreters have yet relocated to the UK as part of a redundancy or relocation scheme. Initial estimates are that up to 600 interpreters will receive all three offers, with the option of relocation to the UK, training or financial packages in Afghanistan.
	Each claim of intimidation is assessed by an investigation unit, on a case by case basis. Cases are dealt with on a graduated basis reflecting the level of the measures required to ensure an individual's safety. In four such cases, financial assistance has been provided to assist locally employed interpreters to mitigate the threat to them; this has included relocation within Afghanistan to address intimidation threats.

Armed Forces: Harassment

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made in the (a) Army, (b) RAF and (c) Royal Navy in response to a number of cases of harassment reported to the Service Complaints Commissioner by 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Service Complaints Commissioner plays an important role in ensuring our complaints system remains fair, effective and efficient, but her observations also enable wider issues to be highlighted. For the arrangements in place across the Army and RAF, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 24 February 2014, Official Report, columns 62W and 65W.
	The arrangements that are in place across the Royal Navy in respect of bullying, harassment and discrimination are:
	The Naval Service Core and Advanced Diversity and Inclusion training has been completely re-written. The new version, introduced at the beginning of 2013, was produced with support from The Garnett Foundation. It is mandatory for all personnel and attendees are provided with a "Diversity, Inclusion & You" booklet which covers what individuals can do if they feel bullied, harassed or discriminated against, including helplines for internal and external organisations.
	A dedicated bullying and harassment (B&H) pamphlet has been distributed to naval staff, as well as new information poster and pamphlets relating to cyber space B&H.
	Each naval service unit receives a mandatory biennial diversity and inclusion (D&I) advisory visit. During this visit adherence to the D&I training policy and B&H complaints policy are discussed and a written report is submitted to the commanding officer.
	To ensure that future managers are captured, training is given to officers when they join at the Britannia Royal Naval College, and all ratings and officers who attend the Leading Rates Command Course, Senior Rates Command Course and Divisional Officers Course at the Royal Navy Leadership Academy. This training has to be repeated every two years and will be reviewed towards the end of 2015.

Cleaning Services

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of laundry equipment supplied to his Department.

Philip Dunne: Laundry equipment is supplied to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) through a number of contractual arrangements, including through prime contractors and more localised contracting arrangements. Details of these laundry contracts are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	MOD contracts are usually open to competition and value for money would be a key consideration in any tender evaluation process.

Defence Academy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Commercial Course run by the Defence Academy.

Anna Soubry: Full disclosure of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Commercial Course would prejudice the commercial interests of Cranfield university. Therefore, I am unable to place a copy of their documents in the Library of the House. However, I have placed a presentation owned by the Ministry of Defence in the Library of the House for your information.

Defence Academy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Support Management Course run by the Defence Academy.

Anna Soubry: Full disclosure of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Support Management Course would prejudice the commercial interests of Cranfield university. Therefore, I am unable to place a copy of their documents in the Library of the House. However, I have placed presentations owned by the Ministry of Defence in the Library of the House for your information.

Defence Academy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Finance Programme run by the Defence Academy.

Anna Soubry: Full disclosure of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Finance Programme would prejudice the commercial interests of Cranfield university. Therefore, I am unable to place a copy of their documents in the Library of the House. However, I have placed presentations owned by the Ministry of Defence for my right hon. Friend’s information.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has received from Lockheed Martin on the readiness statistics for the F35B; and whether he is confident that this aircraft will reach levels of readiness comparable to the F-22.

Philip Dunne: Lightning II is scheduled to achieve Initial Operating Capability (Land) in 2018 and will commence First of Class Flying Trials during that year. This definition of readiness is a UK specific requirement and is not linked to the F-22. The programme is making good progress and is on schedule to meet its Initial Operating Capability.

Members: Correspondence

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2014, Official Report, column 220W, on accountancy, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for North Durham.

Andrew Murrison: I have written to the hon. Member today.

Military Bases: Drugs

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents have been reported of (a) civilian staff and (b) military personnel using illegal drugs at UK nuclear bases in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
	Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Margaret Ritchie:
	In my answer of 6 February 2014 (Official Report col 351W) I promised to write in response to your question on the number of reported incidents of civilian staff and military personnel using illegal drugs at UK nuclear bases in each of the last three years.
	I can confirm that no such incidents were investigated by the Ministry of Defence Police or the Service Police during this period. For military personnel our information is limited to offences where the Service police have jurisdiction and the investigative lead. For Ministry of Defence civilian staff our information is limited to offences where the Ministry of Defence Police have jurisdiction and the investigative lead. It is worth noting that primacy for the investigation of all criminal offences committed within the UK remains the responsibility of the local Chief Constable.

Procurement

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to help small and medium-sized enterprises enter the competitive tendering process for contracts with his Department.

Philip Dunne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 444-445W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Caroline Dinenage).

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Emergency Services: Finance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to change the capping regime for the police and other emergency services.

Brandon Lewis: None, as capping was abolished by the Localism Act 2011.

Enterprise Capital Funds: Merseyside

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what share of the £100 million Enterprise Capital Fund was allocated to Merseyside.

Kris Hopkins: Liverpool Enterprise Partnership's share of the capital grant fund is £3,578,217 for the Daresbury Enterprise Zone, subject to ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

Insulation

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure that (a) only closed cell insulation is used in buildings and flood risk areas and (b) BBA Agrément certificates specify that other types of cavity wall insulation are not certified for use in such areas.

Stephen Williams: Building work must meet the functional requirements of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations. Approved Documents provide guidance on means of compliance with the relevant functional requirements. There is no obligation to adopt any particular solution given in an Approved Document and other methods and materials may be suitable in the particular circumstances.
	Approved Document C “Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture” refers to advice on flood resilience set out in the DCLG/DEFRA/Environment Agency publication “Improving the flood performance of new buildings-flood resilient construction”. This document advises that external insulation is preferable to cavity insulation because it can be more easily replaced if necessary. It also advises that cavity insulation should incorporate rigid closed cell materials as these retain integrity and have low moisture take up in the event of immersion.
	There is no requirement in the Building Regulations-or approved documents to use materials certified by the British Board of Agrément. These certificates are a matter for Board and the Department has no power to affect their content.
	It is Government policy to ensure that the Building Regulations remain material and technology-neutral, to avoid distorting markets and inhibiting product innovation.
	For similar reasons, and to comply with European free trade legislation, Building Regulations do not require third party certification of products, such as British Board of Agrément certificates. Approved Document 7 “Materials and workmanship” gives further details of ways to demonstrate that a material is suitable for use for a specific purpose.

Local Government Finance

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to promote a balanced approach to investment in both city and non-metropolitan county areas.

Kris Hopkins: The Government is negotiating a ‘Growth Deal’ with all thirty nine Local Enterprise Partnerships which are due to be concluded by July 2014. Local Enterprise Partnerships cover functional economic areas across all of England, and cover both rural and urban areas. Growth Deals will include freedoms and flexibilities for places to support economic growth and a share of the Local Growth Fund, which will be at least £2 billion per year through the next Parliament.

Planning

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish his Department's revision to planning practice guidance.

Nicholas Boles: We have been carefully considering the comments received during the test phase of the National Planning Practice Guidance web-based resource. We will launch and publish the final version in due course.

Regional Planning and Development: West Midlands

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 443W, on local government: cooperation, how his Department is implementing the commitment, on page 184 of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Revocation of the West Midlands Regional Strategy: Post Adoption Statement, to monitor the environmental impacts of the duty to co-operate in the West Midlands and implement measures to address or mitigate any negative effects.

Nicholas Boles: The Post Adoption Statement explains that the monitoring programme will use existing regulatory regimes and data collection processes to provide information on potential environmental impacts. The metrics and sources of monitoring information are set out in Annex C to the Statement and in reviewing the effects of revocation we will make periodic reference to this information.

EDUCATION

Child Minding

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the independent evaluation of the childminder agency pilots will report to his Department; and when the results will be published.

Elizabeth Truss: The action research into childminder agency trials, being carried out by an independent evaluator, is due to conclude at the end of March 2014. The evaluation is intended to report on learning from the trials in order to inform policy development, the business models for the trials, and the requirements for childminder agencies which will be set out in regulations.

Community Schools

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of the community primaries that have had their academy status applications declined by his Department are rated (a) outstanding and (b) good by Ofsted.

Edward Timpson: Of the 26 community primary schools that have had their applications to convert to an academy declined, three were rated 'outstanding' and 17 were rated 'good' by Ofsted at the time of application.

Pre-school Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of the two year olds within the 20 per cent most disadvantaged group are accessing a free early education place in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area.

Elizabeth Truss: Data on the number of two-year-olds in funded places is being gathered through the early years and schools censuses which took place in January 2014 and will be published in summer 2014. This will include information on the number of two-year-olds accessing free early education places in each local authority.

Schools

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the performance of converter academies with schools which are eligible to convert but which have chosen to retain their maintained status;
	(2)  what comparative assessment he has made of the recent changes in the performance of sponsored academies and low-performing schools which choose to keep maintained status.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has published a number of reports that have compared the improvements seen in academies to those in local authority schools, controlling for previous outcomes.
	In June 2013, analysis published alongside the Academies Annual Report showed that sponsored academies were improving at a faster rate than a group of comparable local authority maintained schools at key stage 41.
	1Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/attainment-by-pupils-in-academies-2012-supplementary-analysis-to-the-academies-annual-report-2011-to-2012
	In January 2014, the Department published analysis comparing the performance of converter academies in Ofsted inspections with local authority maintained schools2. It showed that, at both primary and secondary level, converter academies were more likely to retain their previously outstanding rating or improve their previously good rating than local authority maintained schools.
	2Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/performance-of-converter-academies-in-2012-to-2013

Schools: Transport

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy that school transport for pupils aged 16 and over should become a statutory function for local authorities following the raising of the school leaving age.

David Laws: The responsibility for post-16 transport support already lies with local authorities (LAs). LAs have a statutory duty to publish a post-16 transport policy statement each year that sets out the travel arrangements they will make to support young people of sixth-form age to access further education or training. These young people may be at school but may also be at college or undertaking an apprenticeship, traineeship or another form of training.
	The type and level of support provided is for LAs to decide. LAs are expected to make reasonable decisions based on the needs of their population, the local transport infrastructure, and the resources they have available.

Schools: Transport

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will hold the consultation on new guidelines for home to school transport announced by the Minister for Schools in October 2013.

David Laws: We intend to launch the consultation in spring 2014, with publication of the new ‘Home to School Travel and Transport Guidance’ expected to take place later in the year.

Teachers: Surveys

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 360W, on teachers: surveys, when his Department will complete its analysis of the 2013 Teacher Workforce survey.

David Laws: The Department for Education has completed its analysis of the findings of the 2013 Teacher Workload Survey. It will be published shortly, in accordance with the Cabinet Office's Government Social Research guidance.

Teachers: Surveys

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will use the findings of the March 2013 Teacher Workload survey to inform (a) current cross union talks, (b) departmental decision-making processes and (c) any further review of existing policies; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: The Department for Education will publish the findings of the 2013 Teacher Workload Survey shortly in accordance with the Cabinet Office's Government Social Research guidance.
	The survey's findings will be of interest to all parties invited to the programme of talks that the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has initiated with the trade unions. The Department for Education will include the survey's findings within the agenda of these talks and consider the detail in the development of related policies.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Paramilitary Groups

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the current threat level from paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: Northern Ireland continues to suffer from violence and crime perpetrated by dissident republicans and individuals believed to be connected with loyalist paramilitary groups. This includes a range of criminal activity such as brutal punishment attacks, organised crime, drug dealing and intimidation. Such activity will not be tolerated and the PSNI are working hard to build an evidence case against suspects to ensure that they face the full rigours of the law.

Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress she had made on reinstating the Northern Ireland aggregates levy credit scheme.

Andrew Robathan: Treasury officials are currently considering follow-up questions from the Commission in relation to the aggregates levy credit scheme with the Northern Ireland industry body QPANI and DFP.
	The available evidence is being gathered for a response that will enable the Commission to approve the scheme both retrospectively and for the future.

Rebalancing the Economy

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress the Government is making on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy and reducing its reliance on public sector employment.

Theresa Villiers: The Government and the Executive are committed to rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy and we continue to work together on measures in the economic pact to support private sector growth. We recognise that continuing work is needed to secure the recovery and rebalance the economy, which remains too dependent on public spending.

Youth Unemployment

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the Government’s economic policies on youth unemployment in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Stockton North, and Oldham East and Saddleworth.

Legacy of the Past: Role of Voluntary Sector

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the role of the voluntary sector in dealing with the legacy of the past.

Andrew Robathan: Voluntary sector organisations provide invaluable support for those whose lives have been changed forever as a result of Northern Ireland’s troubled past. I pay tribute to their work, which I know from my conversations with victims and their families is deeply appreciated by many in Northern Ireland.

Bank Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  when the next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Banking and Access to Finance in Northern Ireland will be published; and if she will make a statement on those consulted about drafting of the agenda;
	(2)  what priorities have been agreed by the Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Banking and Access to Finance in Northern Ireland since its first meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The economic pact, ‘Building a Prosperous and United Community’, recognises the importance of bank lending to businesses in Northern Ireland.
	The Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Banking and Access to Finance was established to consider the support required and support available for local banks and businesses. The next meeting of the Ministerial Taskforce is due to take place before the Easter recess.
	A statement will be made in June on progress across the commitments set out in the Pact including access to finance.

Block Grant

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the block grant to Northern Ireland has been in each year since 2005.

Theresa Villiers: Details of the block grant since 2008-09 are provided in an annex to the Northern Ireland Office Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13. Copies are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nio-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13
	Data for the requested time frame prior to 2008-9 are not available on a consistent basis.

Fuel Oil

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the level of dependence on home heating oil in Northern Irish households and the effect of such dependence on average household energy costs.

Theresa Villiers: This is a matter for Northern Ireland Executive Ministers. I am however advised that some 68% of homes in Northern Ireland are dependent on home heating oil compared to 4% in Great Britain.
	The Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland has launched a licence application process that will see upwards of £200 million invested in a new gas pipeline to the west of Northern Ireland and bring gas to the towns of Strabane, Omagh, Enniskillen, Derrylin, Dungannon, Coalisland, Cookstown and Magherafelt.
	This competition has the potential to generate an additional £200 million of economic benefits, from energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions and will give more choices to householders in Northern Ireland on how best to heat their homes.

Fuel Poverty

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what comparative assessment she has made of the level of fuel poverty in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) other areas of the UK.

Theresa Villiers: Much of the responsibility for issues in this area is devolved, but the Government is playing its part to address the problems we know people are encountering in Northern Ireland as a result of fuel prices. Notably, the Chancellor has frozen fuel duty for the remainder of the Parliament. Since home heating oil heats 68% of homes in Northern Ireland compared to 4% in Great Britain this has a very significant impact.
	In April 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Social Development (DSD) launched a new fuel poverty strategy, ‘Warmer Healthier Homes’ which set out a vision for the future as a society in which people live in a warm and comfortable home and help lift people out of fuel poverty.
	The warm homes scheme has been the DSD’s main tool in tackling fuel poverty since 2001. The scheme has assisted over 120,000 low-income households to improve their energy efficiency. It is estimated that in uninsulated houses some 35% of heat is lost through the walls, 25% through the roof and 15% through the floors.
	The DSD boiler replacement scheme is targeted at improving the energy efficiency of low-to-middle income households. Since the scheme was launched in September 2012, some 7,320 new boilers have been installed.
	The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme runs until March 2014 and offers a number of heating and insulation schemes involving grants, discounts and cash back for households and some commercial businesses.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change remains in close contact with its counterparts in Northern Ireland on these and other related matters.

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of her Department's Ministers and non-departmental public bodies is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of her Department's Ministers and non-departmental public bodies is.

Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office currently operates from three locations; 1 Horse Guards Road, London; Stormont House, Belfast; and Hillsborough Castle.
	The following table sets out the size of Ministers’ offices in each of these locations:
	
		
			 Square metres 
			 Location Secretary of State Minister of State 
			 Stormont House 29 30 
			 1 Horse Guards Road 37.55 29.47 
			 Hillsborough Castle 15.8 n/a 
		
	
	The number and grades of officials that work in private offices are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Grade Number of Staff 
			 Band A 1 
			 Band C 3 
			 Band D 4 
			 Band E 1 
		
	
	My Department has two executive non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As these bodies operate independently of Government, the hon. Member may wish to write to the Commissions directly on these matters—contact details are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact Details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Public Appointments

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many of the appointments to public bodies in Northern Ireland she has made were (a) men and (b) women; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  for which appointments to public bodies she is responsible; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: All appointments to public bodies in Northern Ireland made by my Department are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).
	Information on appointments to public bodies is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Gender 
			 Public Body Position Male Female 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Commissioner 1 — 
			 Equality Commission for Northern Ireland Chief Commissioner 1 — 
			 Equality Commission for Northern Ireland Commissioner 7 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Chief Commissioner (currently vacant) — — 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Commissioner 4 3 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Chair — 1 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Commissioner 2 2

Sovereignty: Scotland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the implications for Northern Ireland of the Scottish Government's white paper on Scotland's future.

Andrew Robathan: I have not made an assessment. The UK Government believes that it is in the best interests of Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. The UK Government is focused on making the case for Scotland to stay in the UK and we will not act in any way that requires us to consider the interests of the UK without Scotland.
	The reality is that if people in Scotland vote for independence then negotiations would be required with the continuing UK, the EU and others, and there is no way of predicting what the outcome of that process will be.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of staff recruited to her Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background.

Theresa Villiers: My Department does not hold this information centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Figures for January 2014 for staff employed by my Department who have declared their ethnic background show that 2% are from ethnic minority backgrounds, 31% are White British, 1% as White Irish. 66% have not declared their ethnic background.

VAT

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about levels of VAT and their effects on the tourism and hospitality sectors in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: I regularly hold discussions with Treasury Ministers, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on a wide range of economic issues that impact on Northern Ireland. As set out in our joint economic pact signed in June 2013, ‘Building a Prosperous and United Community’, the Government will continue to work with the Executive to encourage visitors to Northern Ireland.

Welfare State: Reform

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on welfare reform.

Theresa Villiers: I have been stressing to Northern Ireland Executive Ministers as part of my ongoing discussions with them, that our welfare reforms are designed to help people out of poverty by ensuring that work always pays, as well as helping to tackle the causes of welfare dependency and ensuring we are fair both to those in genuine need and to the taxpayer.

TREASURY

Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising, by newspaper, in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not separately identified within our accounting system. To attempt to extract these data would be of disproportionate cost.
	However as part of the Government's transparency agenda, all Departments publish details of transactions above £25,000. Data are published one month in arrears and can be found within the following link:
	www.gov.uk/government/collections/25000-spend

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which buildings occupied by his Department are owned or part-owned privately; what the total value is of the rent paid to private landlords for the use of such buildings for official duties; and to whom such rent is paid.

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury rents space in buildings from other Government Departments and agencies. We do not hold details of landlords' commercial arrangements.

Child Benefit

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in (a) the UK and (b) each region that are subject to the high income child benefit charge and failed to meet the self-assessment deadline of 31 January 2014.

David Gauke: This information is currently not available. HMRC will continue to help taxpayers understand and meet their self-assessment obligations.

Electronic Commerce: Imports

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to ensure that online companies declare the full value of imported goods on their customs declarations.

David Gauke: HMRC are working to identify and address the main risks posed by commercial online operating models for routing goods into the UK. HMRC (in liaison with Trading Standards and other agencies) is undertaking intelligence driven investigations and projects to address concerns relating to the activities of online companies, including undervaluation of goods at import.
	Where specific intelligence is provided to HMRC by members of the public and UK traders this is followed up and where misdeclaration/undervaluation of goods is identified assessments for underpaid duty and tax are raised as appropriate.
	As part of an ongoing programme of trader education HMRC is liaising with specific online trading portals to inform traders and their representatives of their obligations in relation to compliance with customs requirements.
	Where the online trader is a non-EU company, HMRC has no jurisdiction. In such circumstances the non-EU company is required to appoint an EU representative to act on their behalf. The EU entity would then be jointly liable for any customs debts that may arise. It is therefore in the appointed representative's interest to ensure compliance with EU customs regulations and requirements.
	Public Notice 252—Valuation of imported goods for Customs purposes, VAT and trade statistics was updated July 2013 and is available globally via the HMRC website.

ICT

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last four years have been abandoned; and what the monetary value of each such contract was.

Nicky Morgan: No IT contracts have been abandoned by the Treasury in the last four years.

Lost Property

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what property has been recorded as (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

Nicky Morgan: The following items of HM Treasury property were lost or stolen from the Department during the 12 months ending December 2013:
	Property lost or stolen from Department in 2013
	Lost—20 Blackberry mobile devices, six laptop computers and 32 laptop encryption tokens.
	Stolen—one Blackberry mobile device, two laptop computers and two laptop encryption tokens.
	The total cost of replacement is estimated at £15,075.
	All the laptop computers involved in these incidents were encrypted devices that are not accessible without a security token and more than one password. The BlackBerry devices are also password protected.
	No tokens or passwords were left with these items, and so there was no data loss. Steps were taken, as soon as the loss of these electronic items was reported, to ensure that they provided no means of access to any of the Department's IT systems.

Photographs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on official photographs of its Ministers since May 2010.

Nicky Morgan: I can confirm that the Department has not had any costs on official photographs of its Ministers since May 2010.

Public Relations

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in each (i) constituent part of the UK and (ii) region in each of the last four years.

Nicky Morgan: No contracts were awarded by HM Treasury for public opinion research in the last four years.
	The Treasury does not record public relations expenditure as a separate category but a search of supplier records for the years in question revealed no payments to suppliers that are known to be public relations companies.

Remittances

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what capacity his Department has to monitor the transfer of funds from individuals in the UK to recipients in other countries; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Treasury does not monitor the annual transfer of funds from individuals in the UK to persons in other countries. The Treasury relies on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for data on UK transfers. The ONS does not publish separate estimates for remittances as they are not considered to be of sufficient quality. Instead, estimates for remittances are combined with estimates for net transfers from UK charities, defined in the UK Balance of Payments (the Pink Book) as ‘other payments by households’.
	Data for ‘other payments by households’ is only available on an annual basis. The 2012 Edition of the Pink Book published in July estimated ‘other payments by households’ at £5.74 billion in 2011
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2012/index.html

Secondment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what procedures his Department uses to ensure equal opportunities in relation to staff secondments in the Department.

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury has an interchange policy which is published on the intranet and available to all employees. All employees are eligible to apply for a secondment provided they meet the following criteria:
	permanent members of the civil service;
	have completed at least one posting in Treasury

Staff

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of staff of (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies accountable to him work outside of London; and in which local authorities such staff are located.

Nicky Morgan: The following table shows the proportion of staff from HM Treasury who have worked outside of London in the last four years. These members work in the Norwich office. The local authority they are located in is the Broadland district council area.
	
		
			  HMT (%) 
			 31 March 2013 3.2 
			 31 March 2012 2.9 
			 31 March 2011 3.2 
			 31 March 2010 3.8 
		
	
	Neither of the Office for Budget Responsibility or the Debt Management Office, have any staff working outside of London.

Stress

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of working days lost by his Department's staff was attributed to stress-related conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nicky Morgan: In the year 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013, which is the most recent period for which figures are available, approximately one in five (19.76%) of the total working days lost in the Treasury was due to 'Mental and Behavioural Disorders' which includes stress, anxiety and depression related conditions.

Taxation

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there has been in the level of (a) national insurance contributions and (b) VAT for a family with two people earning £10,000 per annum since May 2010.

David Gauke: This family will no longer pay any income tax, thanks to this Government's changes to the personal allowance.
	This information needed to calculate this answer is publically available from the national insurance contributions rates and thresholds here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-structure/table-a4.pdf
	At autumn statement 2013, the Government published distributional analysis covering all the personal tax, welfare and public spending policy decisions (that can be modelled) since the June Budget 2010:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263548/impact_on_households_autumn_statement_2013.pdf
	Chart 2.C sets out the cumulative impact of modelled tax, tax credit and benefit changes on households in 2014-15 in cash terms (£ per year), in 2014-15 prices, by income distribution.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to provide a substantive answer to question 179832 tabled on 10 December 2013 for answer on 16 December 2013.

Nicky Morgan: An answer to this question was given on 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 27W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Press: Witnesses

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that the proposed new statutory code of press regulation prohibits the media harassment of witnesses granted anonymity in court proceedings; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The courts may act to prevent or punish conduct which tends to obstruct, prejudice or abuse the administration of justice either in relation to a particular case or generally. Witnesses are also protected by other criminal law such as the Public Order Act 1986, Malicious Communications Act 1988, Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and Communications Act 2003. Government does not interfere with what newspapers publish, provided they abide by the law of the land.
	More widely, the Royal Charter on self-regulation of the press requires that for any self-regulator to receive recognition it must meet the criteria set out in Schedule 3 of the Charter, which includes provisions for a standards code that specifically covers standards of conduct and appropriate respect for privacy.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Infant Mortality

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it the Government's policy to press for the adoption of an international goal that no baby should be born without a midwife present in order to reduce deaths among newborns; and if he will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government is making newborn health a priority and has committed to save 250,000 newborn lives by 2015. We recognise that this requires the presence of skilled attendants at birth—in different countries these may be midwives, nurses, doctors or other skilled medical personnel—and we are funding programmes to increase the numbers and availability of these health workers.
	Further, we have supported the development of the Every Newborn Action Plan, which will be launched later this year and will provide concrete recommendations to enable all countries to reduce newborn deaths.
	We fully recognise the importance of midwives and other health workers as a critical intervention. We also believe that goals or targets around maternal and newborn health should measure outcomes, such as reductions in mortality, rather than processes, to ensure that the impact of quality is also captured.

Developing Countries: Trade

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library a copy of each of the partnership agreements between her Department and major UK food and clothes retailers, announced to the London Stock Exchange Group on 27 January 2014.

Justine Greening: DFID's Trade and Global Value Chains Initiative (TGVCI) will be working on projects with some of the leading food and clothing retailers to improve working conditions, job opportunities, and community services for workers and communities involved in the horticulture and garment sectors in Kenya, South Africa and Bangladesh.
	This programme is being implemented through an external fund manager, not through partnership agreement.

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of her Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of her Department's Ministers.

Alan Duncan: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Secretary of State Minister of State Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Totals 
			 scs-G5 1 — — 1 
			 A1 1 1 1 3 
			 A2 1 — — 1 
			 B1D 1 1 1 3 
			 B1 1 1 1 3 
			 B2 3 2 2 7 
			 C1 — 1 1 2 
			 Total 8 6 6 20 
		
	
	
		
			  Size of room in square metres 
			 Secretary of State's office 26.8 
			 Minister of State's office 56.2 
			 Parliamentary-Under Secretary of State's office 35.2

Palestinians

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the goal set by the Palestinian National Plan to modernise the Palestinian education system.

Alan Duncan: DFID welcomes the positive steps taken by the Palestinian Authority to modernise the Palestinian education system, including through its continuing efforts to enhance the skills of teachers. We expect education to continue to be a priority sector in their next National Development Plan, with increasing emphasis on improving the vocational and technical skills of young people to prepare them for future employment.

Palestinians

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to monitor commitments made by the Palestinian Authority on the educational goals set by the Palestinian National Plan.

Alan Duncan: DFID uses reporting from the Palestinian Authority to track progress on implementing the National Development Plan and on specific education-related priorities such as primary school enrolment rate and the educational achievement of students in specific subjects and grades. DFID also has regular dialogue with the Ministry of Education and with other donors who support the sector.

Palestinians

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding given to the Palestinian Authority aimed at improving educational progress.

Alan Duncan: DFID provides financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA is achieving good results in education. For example, over 97% of children are now enrolled in primary school, which compares favourably with other countries in the region and is in line with the millennium development goals and the aims of Education for All.

Palestinians

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department takes to ensure that UK aid funding does not help promote anti-Semitic or otherwise inappropriate material in schools in the Palestinian territories.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government does not directly fund the textbooks used in Palestinian schools. We provide financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority and UN Relief and Works Agency to provide essential services to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, including education. We welcome the 2013 Council of the Religious Institutions of the Holy Land (CRIHL) report's finding that incitement and extreme negative characterisations are very rare in both Israeli and Palestinian textbooks.

Palestinians

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has for determining future funding to the Palestinian Authority.

Alan Duncan: Future support will be determined as part of DFID's post-2015 spending decisions.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of staff recruited to her Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background.

Alan Duncan: Over the period 5 May 2010 to 13 February 2014, 19.7% of staff recruited to DFID identified their ethnic background as white British and 8.0% identified as other ethnic background. Staff are asked to declare their ethnicity, but are not compelled to do so. 61.8% of staff recruited in this period did not declare their ethnicity.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Boilers

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Boiler Replacement Scheme covers houses which use bottled LPG; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Under the affordable warmth element of the energy company obligation (ECO) eligible low income households may receive a boiler replacement or boiler repair. In its first year of operation, ECO has supported the installation of more than 165,000 new boilers. Scheme eligibility is based on receipt of certain means tested benefits. There are no formal eligibility criteria based on current heating fuel. The details are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/energy-company-obligation
	The energy companies covered by ECO make their own decisions, in line with the scheme rules, about which measures to provide to which households. We will shortly be consulting on amending certain scheme rules. As part of this consultation, we intend to explore whether and how to provide additional incentives for energy companies to support eligible households whose main fuel type is not gas from the national grid.

Energy

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in (a) Leicester West constituency and (b) the UK are on district council electricity schemes; and how many such properties have gas meters that can no longer be used.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold this information.

Energy: Conservation

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the recommendation of the European Council President that binding targets of 40 per cent for energy efficiency and 30 per cent for renewable energy should be set.

Gregory Barker: The UK has fought hard for a 2030 Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction target for the European Union of 40% on 1990 levels, which will lead to massive investment in low carbon energy, including renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
	The UK does not support European Union targets for renewable energy or energy efficiency, that are binding on member states as proposed in the recent European Parliament report. Such targets would constrain the full breadth of low carbon technology options from being pursued and would not allow the countries of the European Union to choose the best and most cost-effective way to meet their emission reduction commitments.

Energy: Meters

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of smart meters installed by each energy company in each of the last three years.

Michael Fallon: DECC releases statistics on a quarterly basis which detail meter installations by the larger energy suppliers. The latest release details installations up to the end of quarter 3 2013, and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistical-release-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-3-2013
	At the end of quarter 3 2013 a total of 200,400 smart meters had been installed in domestic properties by the larger energy suppliers, and 508,500 smart and advanced meters had been installed in smaller non-domestic sites. Smart meters are those that are, or are expected to be, compliant with the technical specifications (SMETS) defined by Government to support the smart meter roll-out.
	Statistics covering installations up to the end of quarter 4 2013 will be published on 13 March 2014 and will be available on the gov.uk website.

Fuel Poverty

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that the new Fuel Poverty Target addresses the specific needs of people affected by muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular conditions.

Gregory Barker: The new fuel poverty target will focus on improving the energy efficiency of all fuel poor households, including those with long-term health conditions. We will be announcing our proposals on the specific form, date and level of the target in the spring.
	Our fuel poverty measurement approach, which will underpin this new target, is based on modelling household energy requirements. Our model reflects the fact that some households have higher energy requirements than others, for example where health conditions mean that people spend more time at home.

Gas Fired Power Stations

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what comparative assessment he has made of the costs of transitting energy to the Grid from combined cycle gas turbine plants in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK; and what discussions he has had on reducing Government subsidy to such plants in Scotland.

Michael Fallon: All generation connected to the national transmission system pays Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges. These are calculated by National Grid using a methodology designed to reflect the impact that each generator has on the network. Responsibility for approving the methodology rests with Ofgem, the independent regulator.
	The TNUoS charges for any generator in Scotland are typically higher than for an equivalent generator in the rest of the UK to reflect the greater costs associated with delivering its output to the main centres of electricity demand currently in the south of England.
	There are no Government subsidies to combined cycle gas turbines anywhere in Great Britain.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the risk of flooding at the site for the new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point.

Michael Fallon: The Nuclear National Policy Statement published by my Department in 2011 found that there was a low risk of flooding at the site and that it was reasonable to conclude that any new nuclear power station on the site at Hinkley Point C could potentially be protected against flood risk throughout its lifetime.
	The issue of the risk of flooding was examined during the application for development consent for the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. The Planning Inspectorate received advice from the nuclear regulators (the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency) that flood risk should not affect the grant of a nuclear site licence nor compromise the safety of the development. On the basis of the National Policy Statement and of the conclusions and recommendations of the Planning Inspectorate in respect of the development consent application, the Secretary of State granted a Development Consent Order for the new nuclear power station in 2013. This contains conditions which lay down requirements for flood defence works which must take place before construction can proceed.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Written Statement on Contingent Liability: Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of 6 February 2014, Official Report, columns 33-34WS, if he will cancel the proposed contingent liability for the issuing of an indemnity by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to the incoming parent body organisation (PBO) for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd; if he will set out the names of the bidders who claimed they could secure no commercial insurance to cover such liabilities; and if he will publish in full the final bids received for the new PBO and the departmental analysis that led to the publication of the departmental minute.

Michael Fallon: The Government will not withdraw the proposed contingent liability. The nuclear indemnity is needed for the reasons set out in the written statement and departmental minute. Without an indemnity against certain third party nuclear liabilities falling outside the scope of the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, for which there is no commercial insurance available, the competition could not proceed. Given the low probability of a claim being brought against the indemnity, it is clear that that the benefits of contracting with a new parent body outweigh the small risk that the indemnity may be called upon.
	The bidding consortia participating in the competition are:
	Cavendish Fluor Partnership, made up of Cavendish Nuclear Services Ltd and Fluor Enterprises Inc;
	CAS Restoration Partnership, made up of CH2M HILL International Nuclear Services Ltd, AREVA NC and Serco Ltd;
	UK Nuclear Restoration, made up of AMEC Nuclear Holdings Ltd, Atkins Ltd and Rolls Royce Power Engineering Ltd and;
	Reactor Sites Solutions Ltd made up of Energy Solutions EU Ltd and Bechtel Management Company Ltd
	The NDA is responsible for all aspect of the competition, which it is running in full compliance with procurement and competition regulations. The publication of material relating to the competition is, therefore, a matter for the NDA in line with its obligations under the Public Contract Regulations 2006.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when phase two of the Renewable Heat Incentive Grant will be rolled out; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: I am pleased to be able to tell Parliament that we are on track to launch the domestic renewable heat incentive this spring, just as we announced last March. The scheme has received state aid clearance and regulations have been laid.
	The Renewable Heat Incentive, does require the approval of Parliament, and so the exact date of the launch is subject to the timing and success of the debates.

Wind Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 680W, on wind power, how many onshore wind farms were granted planning permissions in each year from 2010 to 2013.

Michael Fallon: The Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) tracks the progress of all projects over 0.01MW from submission of a planning application through to determination and generation:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
	As at the end of December 2013, the REPD shows:
	
		
			  Number of onshore wind applications approved 
			 2010 116 
			 2011 132 
			 2012 268 
			 2013 270 
			 Note: This table reflects the date of successful appeals and, in all other cases, the date of determination of the initial application.

CABINET OFFICE

Construction: Industry

Ann McKechin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the value of the UK construction industry was in each of the last three years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated February 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the value of the UK construction industry was in each of the last three years. (188722)
	Statistics on the value of the construction industry are available through several ONS publications. The most up to date source is ‘Output in the Construction Industry’ which provides a measurement of the value of work completed by the industry in Great Britain. This shows the value of work in:
	2010 was £117.4 billion;
	2011 was £121.7 billion;
	2012 was £116.1 billion; and in
	2013 was £121.1 billion
	These statistics have been taken from the ‘Output in the Construction Industry’ release:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/construction/output-in-the-construction-industry/december-and-q4-2013/rft-table-1-output-tables-dec-2013.xls
	table 4, value of construction output in Great Britain, non-seasonally adjusted. The data for 2013 is subject to revision as more data becomes available for the latter months of this year.
	Data on the construction industry in Northern Ireland is available from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). The latest release of these data provides the value of construction output up until Q3 2013 and shows the value of Construction output in Northern Ireland for:
	2010 was £2.6 billion;
	2011 was £2.3 billion;
	2012 was £2.3 billion; and
	for the three available quarters of 2013 was £1.6 billion.
	These statistics have been taken from the Northern Ireland Construction Industry release:
	http://www.csu.nisra.gov.uk/niconsq32013.pdf
	The data for 2012 and 2013 are subject to revision as more data becomes available.

Equality

Dominic Raab: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many publications his Department has produced for the purposes of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity in each of the last five years; and what the cost of producing such publications was in each such year.

Francis Maude: Cabinet Office publishes relevant statistics on its own workforce once a year. These can be found on gov.uk dating back to 2010:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/about/equality-and-diversity
	There is no direct cost to producing these reports.

Government Departments: Pagers

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  with which companies the Government has a contract to provide pagers; and what the annual value is of each such contract;
	(2)  how many Government-owned pagers are provided to members of the Civil Service;
	(3)  how many Government departments provide pagers for staff.

Nick Hurd: Information on Government contracts is published on Contracts Finder at:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
	It is a matter for Departments if they provide pagers for their staff.

Government Departments: Termination of Employment

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when his Department's guidance on the appropriate use of compromise agreements and confidentiality clauses will be circulated to all Government departments.

Francis Maude: The guidance will be in place in time for the start of the next financial year. I note that guidance on this matter was not issued prior to the last general election.

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of his Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of his Department's Ministers.

Francis Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	Information on Cabinet Office staffing is available as part of published transparency data:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-30-september-2012--2
	Ministerial offices, which have been used by successive Administrations, range in size from 16 to 83 square metres.

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to Ministers in No. 10 Downing Street is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices at No. 10 Downing Street.

Francis Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	Information on Cabinet Office staffing is available as part of published transparency data:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-30-september-2012--2
	Ministerial offices, which have been used by successive Administrations, range in size from 16 to 83 square metres.

Mortality Rates

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the mortality rate of women aged over 75 in the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated February 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the mortality rate of women aged over 75 in the last five years.
	Table 1 presents the age-specific mortality rate (from all causes) per 1 million population for females aged over 75 years in England and Wales, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).
	The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and cause are published annually on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
	
		
			 Table 1. Age-specific mortality rate per 1 million population, females aged over 75, England and Wales, deaths registered between 2008 and 20121,2,3 
			 Registration year Mortality rate 
			 2008 81,508 
			 2009 76,862 
			 2010 77,310 
			 2011 74,751 
			 2012 77,670 
			 1 The age specific mortality rate is calculated as the number of deaths of women aged over 75, divided by the corresponding population (i.e. the number of women aged over 75 who were usually resident in England and Wales), multiplied by 1 million. 2 Figures are for people usually resident in England and Wales. 3 Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. More information on registration delays can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html

Mortality Rates

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of overall all-age mortality in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated February 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of overall all-age mortality in each of the last five years.
	Table 1 presents the age-standardised mortality rate (from all causes) per million population for males and females in England and Wales, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).
	The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and cause are published annually on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475
	
		
			 Table 1. Age-standardised mortality rate per 1 million population, by sex, England and Wales, deaths registered between 2008 and 20121,2,3 
			 Registration year Males Females 
			 2008 6,906 4,921 
			 2009 6,628 4,654 
			 2010 6,467 4,611 
			 2011 6,236 4,458 
			 2012 6,191 4,510 
			 1 Age-standardised mortality rates per 1 million population, standardised to the 1976 European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. 2 Figures are for people usually resident in England and Wales. 3 Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. More information on registration delays can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html

Perinatal Mortality

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many term intrapartum deaths occurred each year in the UK since 2008.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated February 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics {ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many term intrapartum deaths occurred each year in the UK since 2008. [188776].
	Table 1 provides the number of stillbirths and infant deaths in England and Wales of babies who were born at term (at least 37 completed weeks gestation), where the underlying cause of death was categorised as intrapartum asphyxia, anoxia or trauma, for stillbirths and deaths occurring in the years 2008 to 2011 (the latest year available).
	The figures for infant deaths have been extracted from a dataset that links birth registration data to NHS birth notifications data and death registration data, which allows reporting of information about births and infant mortality by gestation. Therefore, these figures will not match other infant death figures published by ONS. Comparable data are not available for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
	Information for intrapartum deaths occurring in Scotland is collected via The Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey, more information can be found on the Information Services Division Scotland website at:
	www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Maternity-and-Births/Stillbirth-and-Infant-Deaths/
	Figures for infant deaths occurring in Northern Ireland are based on the information collected at death registration and .are not available by gestational age, more information can be found on the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency website at:
	www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp9.htm
	Figures for gestation-specific infant mortality in England and Wales are published annually on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/child-health/gestation-specific-infant-mortality-in-england-and-wales/index.html
	Figures for infant mortality in England and Wales based solely on birth and death registration data (with no NHS birth notification data) are published annually on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/child-mortality-statistics--childhood--infant-and-perinatal/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of stillbirths and infant deaths of term babies where the underlying cause of death was categorised as intrapartum asphyxia, anoxia or trauma, England and Wales, stillbirths and deaths occurring in each year from 2008 to 20111,2,3,4,5,6,7 
			 Deaths 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Stillbirths 42 43 45 43 
			 Early neonatal deaths 142 131 131 132 
			 Late neonatal deaths 19 27 15 20 
			 Postneonatal deaths. 4 6 2 8 
			 1 Term is defined as at least 37 weeks gestation. 2 Stillbirths are births occurring after 24 or more weeks completed gestation and which did not, at any time, breathe or show signs of life 3 Early neonatal deaths are those that occur under one completed week of life. 4 Late neonatal deaths are those that occur after at least seven days and under 28 days. 5 Postneonatal deaths are those that occur between 28 days and one year. 6 Figures include stillbirths and deaths of non-residents. 7 Figures are for stillbirths and deaths occurring in each calendar year. Source: Office for National Statistics

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background.

Francis Maude: Accurate figures for ethnicity of staff are not available due to low declaration rates.
	While the Cabinet Office encourages all staff to declare against a number of workforce diversity indicators, including ethnicity, they are not compelled to do so.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Ministers' Private Offices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to his Office's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of his Office's Ministers.

Francis Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	Information on Cabinet Office staffing is available as part of published transparency data:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-30-september-2012--2
	Ministerial offices, which have been used by successive Administrations, range in size from 16 to 83 square metres.